Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Territory Conquest Finals
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The announcer's room perched at the very top of the spectator stands.
Go Hyun-seo, who had the room all to himself, checked the remaining wait time.
About five minutes left.
The main round would start soon. And not long after, the tournament would end, deciding the owner of that item.
Red-glowing leather shoes.
'Footsteps of the Free Thief.'
A rare Unique-grade upper-tier item. Moreover, footwear items were far more valuable than weapons or armor.
But the true worth of this item wasn't just its grade or effects.
'Is it real? That a thief targeting this is here.'
Gazing up at the shoes floating in midair.
Go Hyun-seo looked down at the packed spectator stands.
"And that guy is targeting Lee Soo-hyuk..."
Clunk-.
The door opened right then.
Go Hyun-seo, who had been on edge, shot up from his seat. The moment he turned toward the door, his tension melted away as he spoke.
"It was you?"
"Yes. You weren't picking up..."
He was Go Hyun-seo's direct subordinate. Go Hyun-seo checked his messages in Kit's absence.
Sure enough, there were three unread messages.
"Must've been out of it. What is it?"
"Support has arrived from guild HQ."
"Even here?"
Invisible to the naked eye, Blue Zone players were hidden all around the arena.
Over a thousand personnel, all to guard a single grand prize.
No matter how Unique-grade the item was, it was overkill.
Of course it was.
They weren't waiting for the item—they were waiting for 'someone' targeting it.
According to the briefing, even this many might not be enough.
"Who's leading them?"
"Cha Min-woo."
"Cha Min-woo? That guy?"
Cha Min-woo.
Once hailed as the next Lee Soo-hyuk for his talent. He had indeed climbed the ranks with stellar scores and speed to become a ranker.
Dispatching him as leader showed how seriously the guild was taking this.
'Maybe it really is...?'
Go Hyun-seo's gaze shifted to the tournament screen.
The wait time was up, and the main round had begun.
'Will the real one show up?'
A mere event tournament on the third floor.
From Blue Zone's perspective, no big deal—Omar Schneider would claim the prize anyway, a win-win.
But perhaps—
'The specter of Blue Eyes.'
—this tournament could be the turning point that rewrote history.
The room with just a single bed vanished. The walls confining the players faded, allowing them to see each other's positions.
"What?"
"We were this close?"
Hidden by walls and soundproofed, they hadn't realized.
They were separated into mere 4-pyeong spaces, right next to each other.
They hesitated.
The main round rules hadn't appeared yet.
The players eyed each other warily, gauging distances.
And then.
The main round rules were revealed.
A hum vibrated.
Solid lines and different colors painted the ground beneath the players' feet.
The lines and colors marked boundaries. Their rest rooms had become territories to defend.
The main round rules were out.
Territory war.
Exactly as it sounded: steal the opponent's land.
'Strict one-on-one rules.'
'Even more individual than the prelims.'
'No gain in moving first.'
The test had started, but no one moved.
Obviously.
Beating the guy next door got you one territory. Beating someone with ten got you ten.
Rushing early to steal just wasted stamina.
'It's a game of chicken.'
'Mover loses.'
'Just time it right. I can win too...'
As the participants' staring contest began.
"Wait, hold up!"
"No way, already—."
Just two players.
Playing a different game from the rest.
"I'm heading to Lee Soo-hyuk. Move."
One was Omar Schneider.
The other.
"Kill mission's 300 points each."
Lee Soo-hyuk, with another kill mission hung on him.
"Bon appétit."
It was right after the main round rules explanation.
A mission window popped up for Soo-hyuk, who was scanning for Schneider's position.
MissionVillain must've thought Soo-hyuk was playing the waiting game like the others.
Three missions of the same type.
Totaling 300 points per kill—a hefty pot.
A test where moving early was disadvantageous.
But streamers often embraced disadvantages for content.
It made for entertaining viewing and great clips.
Moreover.
"Of course we run."
Soo-hyuk, who had just blown 80,000 points, couldn't pass this up.
He hadn't planned to sit still anyway.
Though the mission did change one thing.
'In that case.'
He had pinpointed Schneider's location.
Originally planned to head straight there.
Better to end it quick than look like you're dodging.
But now.
"Gotta go the opposite way."
Soo-hyuk spun toward Schneider's opposite territory.
Once you enter an opponent's territory, you must kill them to move to the next.
This rule frustrated Schneider to no end.
"Whaaaat—?!"
Schneider's shout echoed from behind as he chased.
Soo-hyuk sliced through participants in Schneider's opposite territories, while Schneider punched holes in everyone in his path chasing Soo-hyuk.
"Why go that way—! Why—!"
Schneider's yell was near a scream.
Raw anger carried in his voice. He seemed to feel betrayed by Soo-hyuk's actions.
Of all things, they started directly opposite.
As he cut down his thirty-second opponent, Soo-hyuk answered the viewers' questions.
"Yeah. There was."
"Just, let's throw down."
"Mission time."
The chat flooded with question marks at Soo-hyuk's reply.
No wonder Schneider acted weird—there was a reason.
Thankfully, reactions were positive.
They even found ditching the Schneider promise for missions hilarious.
It wasn't running that Soo-hyuk chose.
Running was impossible here. Killing others just grew your territories—you couldn't escape Schneider.
Inevitably, it'd end when Schneider reached Soo-hyuk's turf.
41st territory.
Soo-hyuk swiftly dispatched nearby players. Meanwhile, Schneider kept charging toward him.
How much time passed?
Schneider finally reached Soo-hyuk.
"Lee Soo-hyuk—!"
Blue steam billowed from his body as he flew in.
Menacing aura. The moment messages ended, Schneider was before Soo-hyuk.
Paang-!
He thrust his spear without a word.
Clearly furious.
Cclang-!
Wooong-.
Spear and sword clashed with a deafening ring. Unable to hold, Soo-hyuk's body slid back bit by bit.
'Blocking head-on is a loss.'
Brute forcing it risked snapping his wrist.
Better to ride the force.
Ding-!
Screee-.
Soo-hyuk, flung far and regaining balance, looked up.
Right overhead.
Schneider spun his spear, dropping down.
Kwawoot-!
Pssht-.
The spinning spear strike grazed Soo-hyuk's cheek.
After the storm passed.
Schneider glared at Soo-hyuk, eyes flashing.
'Powerhouse.'
Hands numb. High Strength stat, plus solid spear skills.
Above all, the blue steam from his body.
Boosting his physical prowess further.
"Draw Lightning."
That explained why he charged then halted, ready to end it.
"Use the time I'm giving. Run again, and I'll stab your back for real."
A proposal somewhere between courtesy and demand.
Soo-hyuk made a dumbfounded face under his mask.
"Let's clarify a few things."
Crackle-.
Small sparks danced across Soo-hyuk's body.
"I can use Lightning without you forcing time. It's not a transformation needing your consideration."
Crrackle-.
As if to prove it, the electricity intensified.
"And second—."
Pzzt, pzzzzzt-!
Once ignited, Lightning swelled like oil-fed flames. Soon, it took shape.
"Running's for the weak."
Kurrrung-!
Thunder roared.
Enduring the strain on his body.
Soo-hyuk forged a lightning spear in his hand.
"Still think I'm running?"