Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Stratagem of Division (3)
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“Are these bastards insane?”
The 700-level players from Cabal Guild stared at those charging at them and let out disbelieving laughs.
“They might be trying to stall us. Let’s clean them up as fast as possible.”
“Got it.”
The Cabal Guild 700-level players rushed toward the enemies coming at them.
Desperate, life-risking attacks poured in.
But such tactics only worked when the skill gap wasn’t too wide.
Not when there was an overwhelming difference.
In a situation like this, the enemies’ reckless attacks barely made a dent.
‘It’s over.’
One Cabal Guild 700-level player casually blocked a strike aimed at his heart and brought his axe down.
At that moment.
KABOOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the air as the enemy’s body burst apart.
“What the hell?”
The Cabal Guild 700-level player stared in disbelief.
The blast wasn’t that powerful—for him, a 700-level player.
But for a 500-level player?
It would’ve been lethal.
KABOOOM! KABOOOM!
Explosions erupted everywhere as enemy bodies detonated.
‘These guys have a skill that makes their mana go berserk and self-destruct.’
No other skill would let players turn their own bodies into bombs like that.
‘Those vicious Zhonghua Guild bastards.’
He never imagined they’d train their members in something so ruthless.
Normally, killing a player absorbed their residual mana.
But these self-destructs bypassed that.
All that scattered were scraps of clothing.
And mixed in with those clothes.
“Huh?”
Was a brooch shaped like the Azure Dragon, Zhonghua Guild’s mark.
“So they were Zhonghua Guild after all.”
He’d been 99% sure.
But without proof, it’d been frustrating.
Now, brooches from Zhonghua Guild had turned up on the dead enemies.
Only Zhonghua Guild members carried these.
The guild produced and strictly controlled them.
‘Definitely not fakes.’
Double-coated with trace gold mixed in, they had anti-counterfeiting like currency.
Major guilds made ID brooches this elaborate.
To stop outsiders profiting off their name.
Fakes stood out immediately.
This was genuine.
“Chase them!”
Having wiped out the blockers, the Cabal Guild 700-level players, eyes blazing, pursued the remnants.
* * *
‘Right on schedule.’
The summons had bought just enough time.
‘Still a shame.’
Eighty summons gone.
Vanished summons could be restored via Battalion Formation.
But that cost stats.
For Kang Hyun-soo, that was eighty summons’ worth of stats down the drain.
‘And I have to ditch the remaining twenty too.’
No helping it.
‘At least they didn’t figure out what they were.’
Summons were mana constructs.
Not living humans.
So they’d obviously vanish noticeably.
But Kang Hyun-soo had overcome that with a skill from job-changing to One-Man Battalion.
‘Battalion Dissolution.’
Summons auto-dissolved at capacity anyway.
No real need for a Battalion Dissolution skill.
Yet it existed.
For a reason.
‘It lets me choose how they dissolve.’
He could make them fade quietly, like before.
‘Or blow up the mana composing them, like now.’
More options for disposal.
‘I figured it wouldn’t see much use.’
The explosions were strong, but the stat cost was too high for one-offs.
So he’d only used it at capacity.
‘Works great against players, though.’
Perfect for hiding their true nature.
‘Time to wrap up the finale.’
Kang Hyun-soo ordered his last twenty summons to attack.
They hadn’t been at it long before the twenty went up in heroic blazes.
All one hundred of his humanoid summons expended.
But Kang Hyun-soo didn’t regret a single one.
No, he was excited.
‘Who’ll come out on top?’
Zhonghua Guild and Cabal Guild’s top forces colliding.
‘Either way, massive casualties.’
At least half would die for sure.
And those dead 700-level players from both guilds?
Would reincarnate as Kang Hyun-soo’s summons.
* * *
KABOOOM!
A massive blast as the enemy charging Zhonghua Guild’s 700-level players exploded.
“Those ruthless bastards!”
The enemies were brutal.
Self-destructing when capture loomed? Unbelievable.
“What now?”
They’d finally caught a lead, only for them all to blow up.
Head back empty-handed?
Vice Guild Master Jin Gu-pyeong would rip them apart in a rage.
“Wait, check this out.”
Then one Zhonghua Guild 700-level player picked up a brooch from the ground.
Shaped like a roaring lion.
“This?”
“Cabal Guild’s mark?”
Proof of official Cabal Guild membership.
“No way—these guys were Cabal Guild?”
Cabal Guild.
Big enough to pick a fight with Zhonghua.
They’d taken hits in past disputes, so grudges made sense.
But Zhonghua had ruled them out as suspects.
Why?
They’d been too meek.
To Zhonghua, Cabal was like a local thug paying tribute to the mob.
Strutting like bosses in their turf.
But against real mobsters?
They’d stammer, cough up some cash from past shakedowns.
One reason: they knew they’d get crushed.
Zhonghua figured Cabal wouldn’t dare bare teeth.
They knew better than anyone they’d be smashed flat.
“Ha, these guys must be crazy.”
“They’ve lost it.”
“Did they think they wouldn’t get caught?”
A grudge-holding thug finally backstabs the mob.
If undetected, maybe.
But now exposed?
No letting that slide.
“We have to report to the vice guild master now.”
“Yeah.”
“War’s coming.”
“But full war right now? Guild master and main force are out on expedition.”
“Cabal probably timed it for that. Still, we can’t sit idle. We can punish those Cabal scum ourselves.”
As Zhonghua Guild 700-level players raised their voices.
BOOOOM!
A huge explosion nearby.
Identical to the Cabal members’ self-destructs.
“What?”
“Stragglers?”
The Zhonghua Guild 700-level players rushed over.
And there.
Stood furious Cabal Guild 700-level players.
Seeing the Zhonghua group, they gripped their weapons.
“Cabal Guild rats were hiding right here.”
Grins spread across the Zhonghua Guild 700-level players’ faces.
Thought it’d be a bust.
But they’d nailed them.
* * *
Cabal Guild’s 700-level players were livid.
But they weren’t decision-makers.
So they’d planned to return with the Zhonghua brooches.
Then Zhonghua players appeared before them.
‘Trying to block our way back?’
The Cabal Guild 700-level players gripped their weapons.
Zhonghua’s 700-level players’ eyes sharpened at the sight.
“Cabal Guild rats were hiding right here.”
Killing intent flared in the Cabal Guild 700-level players’ eyes at the words.
They figured Zhonghua wanted them dead to erase evidence.
“The real rats are you Zhonghua bastards.”
The Zhonghua Guild 700-level players scowled.
They’d seen the attackers with Cabal brooches.
Now more Cabal players here.
In Zhonghua territory, no less.
To them, these had to be accomplices.
“Back off now, and we’ll leave too.”
Cabal’s leader told the Zhonghua group.
Cabal had some sense.
They had the evidence.
Report to guild master, then war or reparations.
Evidence was crystal clear.
But Cabal’s leader planned to follow procedure.
“Ha, what? Back off?”
Zhonghua’s 700-level players were dumbfounded.
They’d massacred Zhonghua players.
Caught red-handed, they should be begging on their knees.
Back off?
How much did they think Zhonghua was a joke?
“You Cabal trash think you can invade Zhonghua turf and walk out alive?”
“So you never planned to let us go. Shouldn’t have wasted breath on you dogshit.”
Cabal’s leader grimaced, regretting the talk.
Not surprising.
He’d expected them to swarm to silence witnesses.
“Subdue them and drag to HQ. Kill any who resist.”
Zhonghua’s 700-level players were stunned by Cabal’s leader’s shout.
“We’ll subdue them too. Kill freely, hack off limbs if you want. Just leave one alive.”
Zhonghua’s leader barked the order.
“Kill!”
“Wipe them out!”
Cabal and Zhonghua’s elites, the 700-level players.
Clashed head-on.