Chapter 314: Game
Chapter 314: Game
The situation was a precarious stalemate, hard to call either good or bad. The Vagabonds who had bypassed Kim Soohyun and charged toward the Users were, for some reason, not launching an all-out assault. Were their movements closer to probing attacks? In any case, the battle was evenly matched. In terms of raw skill, the Vagabonds were far superior, so their average combat power outstripped the Users'.
In contrast, the Users had only two advantages over the Vagabonds: their teamwork and the Shadow Queen. If not for the timely support from the priests and mages, and Ko Yeonju coordinating the battlefield by raising her shadows, a breach in their defenses would have happened long ago.
But in a single moment, a fierce, scorching wind rose, threatening to shatter the stalemate.
Feeling the intense heat flowing down from the sky on her face, Ko Yeonju reflexively looked up. In the air, a light that pierced the darkness was gathering into a circle.
Ko Yeonju drew Tyrfing. She had refrained from using it until now, lacking the confidence to control it perfectly, but this situation was different. The heat on her face was growing more intense by the second. The Vagabonds were already beginning to fall back. She knew instinctively that if she couldn't block this, they would be crushed. There was no more time to think, no more room for hesitation. Without further delay, Ko Yeonju poured her magic into Tyrfing and whispered quietly.
“My dear Bingbing, you’re going to hold strong for me, right?”
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!
As if in answer, Tyrfing let out a piercing shriek and began to unleash a terrifying amount of magic.
The shadows that had been supporting the Users began to circle around them. They spun in a ring, gathering speed until they were moving too fast for the eye to see. Ko Yeonju quickly split the shadows she had raised, stretched them out, and stitched them together. The shadows, which had been swirling up from the ground like a vortex, soon merged into a single, complete darkness that began to rise from below.
Just as the veil of darkness enveloped the Users, the Vagabonds’ concentrated fire slammed into the newly formed barrier.
Kra-koom!
In that instant, Ko Yeonju nearly let out a groan but managed to stifle it by biting her lip. Every time the blocked spells and arrows struck the veil, she felt a violent jolt deep inside her.
Ko Yeonju’s Magic Power stat was 93 points. One or two of the Vagabonds probably had higher magic than her. And it wasn't just one or two attacks; including the arrows, it was a full-blown barrage. Considering that, the power of Tyrfing was truly immense. Even though she was being pushed back, it was somehow enduring the focused onslaught.
It was then.
Fwoooooooosh! Crack!
With the sound of a part of the veil shattering, a white-hot, incandescent spear poked through. Its tip was split in two, with yellow sparks occasionally flashing between the prongs. It looked as if it would pierce through at any moment and cause a massive explosion. Ko Yeonju struggled desperately to mend the tear, but the hole only grew larger.
Ko Yeonju felt her hands and arms begin to cramp. This was a crisis. At this rate, it was obvious the shadow veil would break. She could hear the sounds of others rapidly chanting spells around her, but she knew even that wouldn't be enough to block it completely. Just as Ko Yeonju clenched her jaw, thinking she had to at least protect her clan members as a last resort…
“It’s ready! Just hold on a little longer!”
At Jo Seungwoo’s words, Ko Yeonju glanced over. He was drenched in sweat, but a faint smile played on his lips. Soon, Jo Seungwoo lightly waved his left hand, and sparkling lights scattered in all directions before seeping into the earth dot by dot.
“───. ───. ───. Rapid Growth!”
And with that clear voice, another change began. Sprouts started to emerge from the cold, hard ground. In an instant, they grew into seedlings and then began to flourish into all sorts of different plants. Some became flowers, some became grass, and others turned into trees.
In a very short time, a new forest was forming around the Users. Both the Users and the Vagabonds stared in astonishment.
“Contract, Execute!”
Wooooong!
The moment Jo Seungwoo’s shout rang out, a profound tremor of magic vibrated through the area, and the newly grown thicket began to emit a blue light.
*
“Mercenary Lord. I’ve completed everything you asked for. For now, I’ve stripped all the Vagabonds who are still breathing and laid them out in a row.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Haha. This is nothing. If it weren’t for you and the Shadow Queen, Mercenary Lord, we would have been dead. Thank you, truly.”
Jo Seungwoo waved his hands humbly as he replied politely. After the battle with the Vagabonds, the Users’ attitudes had changed noticeably. Before, they had seemed somewhat wary of me, but that attitude had largely dissipated.
Walking inside with Jo Seungwoo, I looked at the lush thicket that was still standing tall. I knew a bit about this kind of magic. Normally, it should have vanished once the spell ended and the magic was cut off, so it was a little strange that it was still here. I decided to check his information again with the Third Eye.
〈 Player Status 〉
1. Name: Jo Seungwoo (Year 3 User)
2. Class: Mage (Normal, Mage, Expert)
3. Nation: Barbara
4. Clan: Gaonnuri (Clan Rank: C Plus)
5. True Name · Nationality: One Who Never Misses an Opportunity · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Male (25)
7. Height · Weight: 185.1cm · 87.2kg
8. Alignment: Good · Chance
[Strength 48] [Durability 42] [Agility 51] [Stamina 46] [Magic Power 89] [Luck 78]
(You have 0 remaining stat points.)
Perhaps misinterpreting my steady gaze, Jo Seungwoo smiled awkwardly and raised his right hand. A faded blue jewel was embedded in the back of his hand. Jo Seungwoo looked at the jewel with a wistful expression for a moment, then pinched it with his thumb and forefinger.
“I suppose I don’t need this anymore.”
“Pardon?”
Before I could say anything, Jo Seungwoo pulled the jewel out of his right hand. It came out smoothly, leaving a small hole on the back of his hand from which a little blood trickled.
“It’s a jewel I was fortunate enough to acquire some time ago. It’s enchanted with a spell that plants seeds and grows them into a protective barrier.”
“Is it single-use?”
“Yes. But it’s alright. I used it up, but I saved my own life, so I’d say it was a worthy trade. This thicket will probably disappear on its own once the magic remaining in the jewel runs out.”
Though he seemed a little regretful, he was right. I nodded calmly.
Before long, Jo Seungwoo came to a stop. We were in the place where the Users and Vagabonds had fought their fierce battle, still surrounded by the thicket. In the center, 11 Vagabonds lay neatly on the ground. They had been stripped of all their gear, but it seemed they had been left their underwear as a courtesy to cover their important parts.
In any case, my job now was to destroy the Vagabonds’ magic circuits. Every User has a magic circuit inside them. To be more precise, within a User’s body are acupoints, and energy flows through these points. The paths through which this energy flows are collectively called energy channels.
You could think of the circuit as a single circulatory path extending from the heart. According to the angels, energy is processed into magic power by the heart, and only when it flows through the circuit does it exhibit its true power.
There were many ways to destroy it, but I had three options right now: the heart, the energy channels, or the magic circuit. The method I chose was to tamper with the magic circuit. I could interfere with the others, but there was a high risk of death during the process if I targeted the heart or the acupoints. That wasn't to say the magic circuit was without risk, but it was the safest of the three.
The practically naked bodies of the Vagabonds gleamed under the moonlight. There were a total of six male Vagabonds and five female Vagabonds.
Before approaching the male Vagabond on the far left, I glanced around. I saw the Users who had survived, excluding the three who had died. Their faces were filled with the joy of survival, and they were staring at the Vagabonds with expectant eyes. Among them were Ahn Sol and my other clan members.
“User Jo Seungwoo.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Did you happen to collect the equipment from the corpses as well?”
“What? No. Not yet…”
I had raised my voice intentionally so everyone could hear, and all the Users, including Jo Seungwoo, turned their gazes toward me.
“If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind gathering all the equipment from the bodies? Please.”
“Of course. But if you’re thinking of taking it all… won’t that be too much? Even excluding the damaged gear…”
“That’s why I need everyone’s help here. If you assist in carrying it, I will provide a small reward when we arrive in the city.”
“Ah…”
The moment I finished speaking, a look of realization dawned in the eyes of several Users. They must have lost a lot in the Vagabonds’ attack. Although we were acting together now, we would be no more than strangers once we reached the city. The phrase ‘a small reward’ was certainly vague, but it was still a chance for them to recover at least some of their losses.
After I finished speaking, I quickly turned my head. I saw Ko Yeonju leaning against a tree.
‘Ko Yeonju. I need you to handle the equipment.’
‘Don’t worry. You can count on me, Soohyun.’
She understood my intent with a single glance. Ko Yeonju grinned and started running toward the area where the bodies were gathered. In any case, while I had given them a pretext, this was my way of telling them to leave. The Users seemed to exchange glances before, one by one, they began to move. Of course, there were still some who remained.
“Ahn Sol. You too.”
“O-Orabeoni…”
“Kim Hanbyul. You too, sir. Please take Ahn Sol with you.”
“Very well.”
Kim Hanbyul nodded without complaint, and the old man replied quietly. Watching Ahn Sol disappear as the two dragged her away, I lightly scanned the Vagabonds with Third Eye.
With everyone gone to collect the equipment, the clearing was empty except for me and the Vagabonds. I started walking toward the ones on the edge, but I suddenly noticed something and changed my course toward the center. A man who appeared to be a melee-type was lying there. I bent down, pressed his arms down hard with my knees, and placed a hand on his exposed chest. I could feel a faint tremor through my palm where it touched his skin.
“I know you’re awake.”
“!”
The Vagabond’s body flinched for a moment before going rigid. Without delay, I infiltrated his body with my magic. Damaging a magic circuit is normally a very difficult task. Injecting magic into the circuit is one thing, but judging exactly how much to inject is the hard part.
But I have the Third Eye. For example, the Vagabond before me has 85 Magic Power. In this case, I just need to cut off the flow of my magic just shy of 85. A little more, and he would die. Too little, and he might recover on his own.
“Don’t open your eyes. The moment you do, you die.”
The Vagabond’s eyelids began to tremble violently, as if he could feel the foreign presence entering his body. I applied more pressure with my knees, pinning his arms, and observed his insides. When I judged the time was right, I detonated the magic I had injected without a shred of hesitation. There was no need to drag it out, and I wanted to finish quickly and rest.
Boom! Ba-boom!
“Kuh, Kuaaaargh! Kaaaaaaaargh!”
Gush!
The moment the explosion occurred, the Vagabond’s body bulged violently. Blood poured from his mouth, eyes, nose, and ears. He let out a piercing scream and thrashed wildly before his eyes rolled back and his tongue lolled out. He had fainted again from the extreme pain.
“That’s one down.”
After confirming the extent of the damage to his magic circuit, I stood up. There were still ten more to go, including the most important one, Baek Seoyeon.
*
On a desk illuminated by sunlight, a small white creature lay curled up. It was the baby unicorn Kim Soohyun had brought back. For some reason, it seemed completely listless, its head resting on the desk with a dejected expression. It would occasionally rub its cheek against the wood, sniff the air, and let fat tears roll down its face, as if it missed someone terribly.
After a long time of not moving from the desk, the baby unicorn suddenly lifted its head. It had heard the soft patter of footsteps outside the door.
Creak!
“Kkyu-kkyu. Are you in here again?”
The door swung open, and a sweet, girlish voice drifted in. The person who entered was Baek Hangyul. The baby unicorn made a disappointed face and lowered its head again.
Baek Hangyul turned off the still-glowing Light Stone and then looked at the desk. He let out a deep sigh and closed the distance to the baby unicorn.
“Kkyu-kkyu, you can’t keep doing this. You have to eat something. Okay?”
“Kkyu…”
Baek Hangyul coaxed it in a gentle voice and set down a plate of food, but the baby unicorn didn’t even glance at it. Instead, it let out a faint cry and swished its limp tail weakly. It was a sign that it didn’t want to eat.
“I told you, Hyung-nim didn’t abandon you, okay? He just got caught up in an accident, and we lost contact for a bit.”
“Kkyu-kkyu…”
“Don’t worry. He’ll be back soon. Hayeon, Sangyong, Yoojung, Ahn Hyun, and Vivian all went to look for him, right? He’ll definitely come back. But when he does, do you think he’ll be happy to see you all skin and bones?”
“…Kkyu.”
Those words seemed to have some effect, as the baby unicorn shakily lifted its head. Baek Hangyul looked relieved and, with a clearly forced smile, rummaged through his pockets. He soon took out a round crystal ball and showed it to the baby unicorn.
“That’s right, good boy. Now eat up. See this crystal ball? Hayeon said she’d contact us with this. So let’s wait patiently together. Okay?”
The baby unicorn gave him a questioning look, as if asking, ‘Really?’ Baek Hangyul nodded his head up and down.
As he stroked the baby unicorn, which had finally started to eat, one difficult bite at a time, Baek Hangyul let out a soft breath. He lowered his gaze to the crystal ball. The way he looked back and forth between the unicorn and the crystal was an action filled with the hope that a message announcing Kim Soohyun’s discovery might come as early as tomorrow.
But Baek Hangyul did not yet know that the message he so desperately wanted would not arrive for another two weeks.