Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Harvest (2)
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The revived Blade King Kyung Wi-gang, summoned as a summon, pressed Flame Knight Jamie with ferocious momentum.
However, it wasn't a particularly satisfactory result for Kang Hyun-soo.
‘Still too weak.’
Kang Hyun-soo wore a disappointed expression.
A summon based on none other than Blade King Kyung Wi-gang.
Of course, it was strong.
But it fell short of Kang Hyun-soo's expectations.
‘It's true that it's overwhelming Flame Knight Jamie.’
But that was about it.
If it were the real Blade King Kyung Wi-gang?
‘The fight would already be over.’
Yet the summoned Blade King Kyung Wi-gang still hadn't taken down Flame Knight Jamie.
‘If I give him Commander's Blessing and appoint him as a company commander, it'll be better.’
Kang Hyun-soo cast the Commander's Blessing skill on Blade King and appointed him as a company commander through Commander Appointment.
Kwaaaaaang!
Blade King's combat power surged dramatically.
But Kang Hyun-soo wasn't all that satisfied.
His combat power was still far below what it had been in life.
‘If I raise his intelligence, will it get better?’
He wanted to give him an even higher position.
Why? Because that would boost his intelligence a bit more.
But company commander was the highest rank Kang Hyun-soo could grant.
‘No helping it.’
To solve this issue, he needed to raise the rank of his One-Man Battalion.
‘Should I throw these guys in too?’
Kang Hyun-soo looked at the seven newly created summons.
Using Battalion Formation, Kang Hyun-soo had revived not just Blade King but also the named players and rankers who had died here.
Blade King, One-Kill Fist, Magic Knight.
Zhonghua No. 1 and 2, and Cabal No. 5, 6, and 7.
A total of eight summons had been created.
He could have increased the number of summons further.
‘But no need.’
Anyone who wasn't a named player or ranker could be replenished anytime.
He also needed to conserve his stats.
Even after saving up diligently, he didn't have much leeway left.
He had to make Flame Knight Jamie into a summon too, and he needed to set aside some stats for any unforeseen situations.
‘Let's wrap this up quickly.’
Quite some time had passed since the commotion started.
He had sent Blade King in alone for testing.
‘This is enough for the test.’
There was no need to delay any longer.
‘Go.’
At Kang Hyun-soo's command, One-Kill Fist and Magic Knight charged in.
Flame Knight Jamie was already barely holding on.
With two more summons joining in.
The fight was decided in an instant.
Flame Knight Jamie's arms and legs were severed powerlessly.
“One-Kill Fist and Michael too? How in the world?”
Even in his dying moments, Flame Knight Jamie couldn't comprehend the situation unfolding before his eyes.
The dead Blade King Kyung Wi-gang had come back to life.
But that wasn't all—the dead One-Kill Fist and Cabal Guild's vice master, Magic Knight Michael, had revived too.
It was something utterly incomprehensible by Flame Knight Jamie's common sense.
“What have you done to them!”
Flame Knight Jamie shouted toward Kang Hyun-soo.
“Who knows? Do I really need to tell you? Just die quietly. I'll make good use of you afterward.”
“What? N-no way.”
Seok!
Before Flame Knight Jamie could finish his words, Magic Knight's sword sliced through his neck.
“Battalion Formation.”
As Kang Hyun-soo used the skill, a summon based on Flame Knight Jamie was born.
At that moment.
[You have achieved an amazing feat.]
[The title "Slayer of a Player 900 Levels Above You" SSS-Rank has been granted.]
[Your One-Man Battalion - C-Rank has grown into One-Man Brigade - B-Rank.]
‘Huh?’
He had expected the SSS-Rank achievement.
But he hadn't anticipated his class, One-Man Battalion, evolving into One-Man Brigade.
‘This soon?’
Kang Hyun-soo was dumbfounded.
It hadn't been long since One-Man Platoon had ranked up to One-Man Battalion.
That meant he hadn't used skills like Battalion Formation or Commander's Blessing all that much either.
A class rank-up was undoubtedly a good thing.
But he needed to figure out the cause.
‘Has to be that.’
The cause Kang Hyun-soo thought of was the quality of the summons.
‘When One-Man Platoon ranked up to One-Man Battalion, most of the summons were monsters.’
Even the players were low-level.
But for One-Man Battalion?
He had turned a large number of named players and rankers into summons.
‘The strength of the base summons is the key to ranking up the class.’
Kang Hyun-soo's face brightened.
The higher the rank, the harder it was to grow skill and class ranks.
He had already felt that difficulty when ranking up from One-Man Platoon to One-Man Battalion.
And now, an easy solution had appeared right before his eyes.
‘Good thing I clashed Zhonghua Guild and Cabal Guild early.’
If he had powered up as planned first?
He might have only realized this easy class rank-up method too late.
One lingering question was also resolved.
‘How the hell did he have 3,000 summons?’
The one called One-Man Legion in his previous life had no Replica skill.
He had benefited somewhat from a special unique skill.
But naturally, he couldn't pull off the trick of looping back in time like Kang Hyun-soo to infinitely produce stats.
Even with great efficiency, he'd inevitably suffer stat losses to rank up.
So how had he amassed 3,000 summons in that situation?
‘He stockpiled stats without using them, then selectively turned the strongest players into summons.’
If he had used Squad Formation after a powerhouse like Blade King Kyung Wi-gang died?
‘It might've been a 2- or 3-step rank-up, not just 1.’
Compared to Kang Hyun-soo's time-loop method, it was slower growth and terribly inefficient.
‘But that was probably his best option.’
For Kang Hyun-soo, learning this easy class rank-up method was a huge gain.
‘Though calling it easy is a stretch.’
Unless a massive war broke out, it was rare for named players and rankers to die in such numbers.
‘This war was one I artificially started.’
That was only possible because Kang Hyun-soo knew Zhonghua Guild's detestable nature and Cabal Guild's hidden identity.
In a normal situation?
Even if Kang Hyun-soo tried to start a war, the major guilds involved would dodge it.
Major guilds had a lot to lose.
And those with much to lose?
They generally avoided risky gambles like war.
‘Got a nice haul of spoils too.’
The value of the items used by Blade King, One-Kill Fist, Magic Knight, and Flame Knight couldn't even be measured in money.
On top of that, Jamie had conveniently gathered the items and skill books from those who died on this battlefield in one place.
‘And I cleanly looted Zhonghua Guild and Cabal Guild's warehouses too.’
Currently, his summons were returning loaded with spoils.
‘Time to clean up.’
Step, step.
Kang Hyun-soo walked toward a rock that had luckily remained intact amid the chaos.
“Come out.”
“…….”
No response.
“I'll kill you if you don't.”
“I-I'll come out.”
With the right threat, Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong cautiously revealed himself.
“Tsk tsk, you're in bad shape.”
Kang Hyun-soo cast the healing skill Immortal Sacred Flame on Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong.
The skill rank was still low, so the healing speed wasn't that fast.
But for Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong, who had been half-dead, it was more than enough.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong expressed his gratitude, his limbs dangling limply.
“I'll definitely repay this favor.”
With those words, Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong prostrated himself flat on the ground.
His mind was a whirlwind right now.
Blade King Kyung Wi-gang had appeared, and he thought he was saved.
Then suddenly, Flame Knight Jamie emanated demonic energy and grew immensely stronger.
Blade King Kyung Wi-gang, whom he thought unbeatable, was pushed back helplessly.
And then died.
Desperate to live, Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong had activated his low-rank Stealth skill and held his breath as best he could.
Just when he thought he hadn't been detected.
‘That guy showed up.’
And then he revived the dead Blade King Kyung Wi-gang along with the named players and rankers as monsters made of mana.
‘Even Flame Knight Jamie died.’
Flame Knight Jamie had revived as a monster obeying that man's—his enemy's—commands.
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong was terrified.
If he were just some nobody player?
He might have felt relieved instead.
But Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong wasn't a nobody.
He was a named player with the title Demon-Slaying Spear.
‘He won't kill me too, right?’
If he died by that man's hand?
He wouldn't rest in peace even as a ghost.
He'd revive as a monster unable to live or die, serving as that man's slave for life.
“Yeah, you have to repay favors. But you saw everything, right?”
At Kang Hyun-soo's question, Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong's eyes shook anxiously.
Of course he had seen everything.
But if he said so?
Wouldn't he get killed?
‘No, even if I say I didn't see, he'll kill me if he plans to anyway.’
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong's mind raced.
‘He healed my wounds. That means he won't kill me right away? Then what does he want from me? How can I survive?’
“I can hear your brain working. Don't bother with clever tricks.”
“Understood!”
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong replied in a voice full of discipline.
“You want to live, right?”
“Yes, I want to live!”
“Then will you do as I say?”
“Yes, if you just let me live, I'll do anything you command!”
“Good. Then accept.”
[Player Kang Hyun-soo has used Commander Appointment. Will you accept?]
[Yes] [No]
A message appeared before Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong's eyes.
‘What do I do?’
“Want to die?”
At Kang Hyun-soo's question, Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong quickly selected Yes.
[You have been appointed as a platoon leader.]
[All stats increased by 5%.]
‘No way.’
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong's eyes gleamed.
As his level rose, raising stats had grown increasingly burdensome.
Yet just accepting the other's message had boosted all his stats by a whopping 5%.
5%.
Nothing much for low-level players.
But for near-max-level players like Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong, it was an enormous difference.
‘It's not just to give me power.’
More likely, it came with restrictions.
“Don't tell anyone about me.”
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong nodded at Kang Hyun-soo's words.
“Come here.”
At Kang Hyun-soo's single word.
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong's body, flattened on the ground, vanished and reappeared at Kang Hyun-soo's feet.
‘What the—!’
“You can't help but come whenever I call. And if I die, you die too.”
There were restrictions, as expected.
“Also, whenever I want, I can erase you from this world.”
As Kang Hyun-soo spoke, Blade King, One-Kill Fist, Magic Knight, and Flame Knight scattered like dust and vanished.
“And whenever I want, I can revive you.”
Shaaaaak!
Blade King, One-Kill Fist, Magic Knight, and Flame Knight, who had scattered like dust, reappeared.
It was merely using Brigade Summon and Brigade Recall.
But to Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong's eyes, it looked like they had truly been annihilated and then resurrected.
“I can let you experience it yourself if you want.”
Kang Hyun-soo said with a smile.
“No! I believe you unconditionally!”
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong refused with a pale face.
Kill him and revive him?
He absolutely did not want that experience.
And crucially.
‘If I die and come back, I might turn into one of those monsters.’
That was a hard pass.
Blade King, One-Kill Fist, Magic Knight, and Flame Knight had revived, but they were completely different from when alive.
Their appearances were different, and they seemed devoid of intellect.
‘That's not human. Just a puppet doll carrying out its master's orders.’
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong absolutely did not want to become a living puppet doll.
“Yeah, you have to believe. If you don't, you'll be reborn not as a human, but as a doll.”
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong's face turned ashen.
Not believing means death?
“D-does that mean if I doubt Master's words, I die?”
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong called Kang Hyun-soo Master.
His survival instincts were remarkably sharp.
“You won't die. You'll just become like these guys.”
It wasn't a lie.
He was keeping him alive out of necessity for now.
But if he went against his will or caused trouble?
He'd kill him on the spot and turn him into a proper summon.
“Eek! I'll make sure that never happens!”
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong misunderstood Kang Hyun-soo's words.
He thought defying orders would gradually erode his intellect until he became like Blade King Kyung Wi-gang.
‘He's hooked good, even through the nose.’
No, this went beyond that.
His very life and existence as a human were held hostage.
To survive.
To remain a human with his own will.
He had to obey Kang Hyun-soo's orders—an obsessive conviction etched into Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong's mind.
“I have orders for you. Obey them well, and you won't have to give up the life you've enjoyed so far.”
“I thank Master for his mercy.”
“My first order to you is…….”
As Kang Hyun-soo's words continued.
Demon-Slaying Spear Jin Gu-pyeong perked up his ears, listening intently.
To avoid the irreverence of missing even a single word from his master.
It was the desperate struggle and effort of a faithful servant.