The White Wolf's Hunt
Baekrang's lips curved into a smile.
"Oh? So he's here?"
He'd heard the rumors, of course.
The Gangster Necromancer.
Not only did he command hordes of skeletons, but his own skills rivaled those of the top rankers.
There was another rumor, too.
Dark had his eye on him.
This should be fun.
Baekrang had clashed with Dark once before, and the man was undeniably strong.
They hadn't settled the fight due to an interruption, but Dark was one of the few players Baekrang acknowledged.
If even he was watching, there had to be something special about this guy.
Baekrang had lamented the lack of real powerhouses here, but it seemed one had shown up after all.
Of course, he'd only know for sure once they crossed blades.
Baekrang closed his eyes, focusing on the presences around him.
Skill: Presence Detection.
It amplified the auras of all living beings within a 200-meter radius several times over, allowing him to pinpoint their locations.
The moment he grasped them all, heat haze began to rise from his body.
He lightly lifted one foot, then stomped the ground.
Boom!
A simple action, but its aftermath was anything but.
"Hup! What the—?!"
"My HP...!"
"Crazy! Run!"
A surge of energy erupted from the ground where the players had gathered, swallowing them whole.
Dozens died in an instant. Some had dodged and fled, but Baekrang followed up with two more strikes.
Most of the survivors perished, leaving only two.
Two.
Baekrang first pursued the one who'd dodged left.
Incredible speed.
He caught up and asked, "Are you Mu-hyuk?"
"I-I don't know!"
Not him.
Baekrang dispatched him and chased the one who'd fled right.
"Are you Mu-hyuk?"
"What bullshit! Get lost!"
He dodged the incoming sword, then pressed his palm to the player's gut.
Thud.
A faint vibration, and the player crumpled.
Baekrang walked past indifferently. As he did, the fallen player dissolved into smoke and vanished.
"Hmm."
Disappointment etched his face.
Not close enough.
But he was somewhere in this space—that much was certain.
Come out and show yourself.
And so it began.
Baekrang's massacre.
*
Of course, Baekrang hadn't drawn attention just for his strength.
The tale of Mu-hyuk and Baekrang spread like wildfire.
It was gripping, captivating viewers' attention.
KBK, broadcasting B1 group, grinned ear-to-ear at the surging ratings.
The director, hearing the buzz, smiled briefly before sobering up and refocusing on the screens.
Not over yet.
Baekrang was still on the move.
"Show the remaining players."
"Yes!"
32 left now.
Despite wiping most himself, Baekrang showed no fatigue.
His true power was unfathomable.
"Zoom on 31."
Mu-hyuk and the puppeteer appeared.
"29."
Baekrang.
"Back to 31 for a Mu-hyuk close-up. Then 29 for Baekrang."
They added an overhead view.
To emphasize the distance between them.
And how it was closing.
"Alright, what happens next?"
Even the director watched with keen interest.
About five minutes passed.
"32!"
"Yes!"
Finally, Baekrang and Mu-hyuk met.
*
49 survivors so far.
With preliminaries ending after 45 more deaths, Mu-hyuk now faced Baekrang.
Of course, he'd known Baekrang was hunting him via the Skull Snakes.
He'd changed direction multiple times to shake him, but here they were.
Maybe because he was a martial artist class.
Tricking his senses wasn't easy.
"You Mu-hyuk?"
"Yeah."
"Found you. Took a while."
"Why'd you hunt me down?"
"To fight."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Signed up to clash with the strong."
"Make finals, and you'll find plenty without me."
"Doesn't matter. I won't lose to you here."
Mu-hyuk's brow twitched at Baekrang's words.
"So I'm the one losing?"
"Who knows. But I won't."
Won't lose? That meant he'd win.
Baekrang's confidence needled Mu-hyuk.
Being underestimated?
It didn't sit well.
"Hah."
How'd it come to this?
Mu-hyuk, facing Baekrang, felt irritation mixed with anticipation as he drew his sword.
Attack power has increased by 5%.
Duration: 10 minutes
No reason to dodge anymore.
"Fine. Let's do this."
He didn't want to anyway.
Just win.
Prove it with strength.
"Summon."
Dust billowed from all directions.
Kirrik? Kiririk?
Exactly 84 skeletons emerged around Mu-hyuk.
A company-sized force. He commanded them single-handedly.
Arrows and spells rained on Baekrang. Before the explosions cleared, Bone Swords, Armor Knights, Cavalry, and Armor Cavalry closed in, encircling him.
Accelerated Thrust.
Mighty Blow.
Weapons swung and stabbed. Mu-hyuk took in the dull impacts as he morphed his sword into a bow.
Nocked an arrow.
Storm, Powerful Arrow Shot.
He waited for the dust to settle and reveal Baekrang.
He took a beating.
Time to finish it.
That moment.
"Haaap!"
A shout, and a gust roared back.
Baekrang filled his vision.
*
No escape.
Impressive.
Arrows and spells focused on one spot would've been easy to dodge.
But they targeted an entire area like rain, spells too.
Calculated to leave no gaps.
Moving faster wouldn't reduce damage much.
So.
Better to block properly.
Internal energy spreads throughout the body.
Shock is redirected to the ground, minimizing impact.
Defense temporarily increased.
Magic defense temporarily increased.
The attacks hammered him.
Bang! Boom! Kaboom!
His body shuddered from the hits.
HP dropped sharply.
The skeletons' swords, spears, axes, and greatswords that followed couldn't be ignored.
At 30% HP, Baekrang frowned.
Maximization.
Another skill.
HP recovery speed increased 5x.
All stats increased by 15%.
Now he could handle it.
Just this much?
No problem suppressing him.
Rumors were exaggerated.
Disappointed, he roared.
"Haaap!"
He blasted away the onslaught.
Mu-hyuk visible through the skeletons.
Pang!
He assumed a stance as the arrow flew.
Too fast to see, but his senses said he could block it.
As he swung his hand lightly, the arrow's shaft brushed his palm up close.
He deflected it; it grazed his cheek.
Whoosh!
Monstrous senses, but Storm's power broke through.
-480 HP
Solid damage.
"Hoo."
Baekrang let out an impressed gasp. Mu-hyuk was more shocked that it was blocked. Everyone except Baekrang, really.
*
Viewers of KBK.
Regardless of place, mouths agape.
"What the hell...?"
"No way."
"He slapped the arrow with his hand?"
"Insane."
But were they more shocked than Mu-hyuk himself?
All that effort.
Items and titles ahead of others.
Skulls amassed beyond reason for evolutions.
Yet this surging frustration—what was it?
Grind.
Teeth clenched involuntarily.
Idiot.
Got complacent.
Miscalculated.
Had to prepare for post-fight exhaustion, potential ambushes.
So he'd held back. That was the clear mistake, proven in one exchange.
No holding back now.
Everything, all out.
Only way to win.
As resolve hardened, Mu-hyuk's eyes turned ice-cold.