Gathering of the Survivors
Hiding could only go so far. The monsters inside the forest kept pushing Sung Min-woo toward the outside.
In the end, once his position was exposed, he got swept up in the center of the battle before he knew it. Most of the other users were in the same boat as him anyway.
It felt like being trapped alone without any allies.
Yeah, it's not just me.
Thinking that way, there wasn't really any disadvantage.
"Alright, this is it!"
"Let's go all the way!"
"Shit!"
He spat out a string of curses and wildly attacked the users around him.
When he felt himself getting pushed back a bit, he fell back momentarily to assess the situation. It turned out two users had teamed up to harass him.
"You cowards...!"
But he wasn't stupid enough to charge straight at two users.
Instead, he slipped away to tangle with other users. The two targeting him hesitated to join the new fray and exchanged glances.
"Tch, your turn!"
They broke their brief alliance and unleashed attacks on each other.
Confirming this, Sung Min-woo fled from the user he was fighting.
Heh, take that!
He snuck up and struck the two users focused on their duel.
"Keurk!"
"You bastard...!"
It was chaos like that.
Remaining Users: 41
Thanks to that, the number of users dwindled quickly.
Down to thirty in no time.
Then twenty in a flash.
Of course, Sung Min-woo, focused on the fight, didn't notice. Only when he started gaining some breathing room did it dawn on him.
"Huh...?"
There were fewer than ten users left.
Exactly seven, to be precise.
Already?
He quickly checked his status.
MP was more than half remaining.
Because he hadn't summoned his twelve spirits.
"Heh."
He'd held back on summoning spirits to avoid drawing attention, but with this few left, it seemed unnecessary.
Just need to take out three more.
Right on cue, one dropped dead.
Two left.
Then suddenly, two users charged at Sung Min-woo.
"Hup!"
He'd been marked as the spoils for these last two.
This won't end at this rate!
He finally summoned the spirits he'd been saving.
"Summon!"
The twelve spirits materialized, turning the tide. The two pressuring Sung Min-woo were now overwhelmed.
"N-No...!"
"No way!"
Sung Min-woo's fist shattered one user's head.
Remaining Users: 4
In the end, Sung Min-woo was one of the final four.
Whoosh.
A sudden burst of light enveloped him, blinding him.
Hmm.
His body sank with a sinking feeling, and his vision cleared.
"Huh?"
A crowd of users stood before him.
"You made it?"
Mu-hyuk was there too.
"What is this place?"
"Seems like only those who passed the prelims come here."
"Oh! Nice!"
"Anyway, you cleared it safe and sound."
"Of course."
Sung Min-woo thumped his chest proudly, unable to hide his smug grin. Mu-hyuk couldn't help but smirk.
Yeah, for now, celebrate making it through the prelims.
Fighting the top contenders?
He decided to ignore the pressure of having to win there.
No need to win at all costs.
Not that he planned to lose, either.
Just give it his all.
They'd fight their way.
He'd fight his way.
With that settled, his mind eased.
"Wonder what's next."
"Heh, I'm confident no matter what!"
"Yeah?"
"You have no idea how brutal the prelims were for me."
"Must've been rough."
"Thought I was gonna lose my mind."
"Gonna buy the broadcast highlights when they drop?"
"Just don't be shocked by my performance."
As they chatted, more prelim passers arrived in bursts of white light.
The users' mouths snapped shut at the sight of the newcomers.
Even Mu-hyuk, mid-conversation with Sung Min-woo, sensed the shift and turned.
There stood Dark in his white armor.
"Hey, finally here?"
His ally, Kilimanjaro, pushed through the crowd.
"You beat me here."
"Finished quick."
"I'm a bit tired. Let's rest."
"Yeah, sure."
He seemed unfazed by the stares.
Sung Min-woo sidled up and whispered,
"Talk about pressure."
"Doesn't seem to care."
"Used to it? Ugh, I wanna be famous too."
"Then get famous."
"Place in this tournament?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, let's do it!"
Time passed, and more prelim survivors trickled in.
Familiar faces appeared one after another.
First, Asrahan.
The moment Mu-hyuk spotted him, he looked away.
But Asrahan, noticing Mu-hyuk, didn't pass by. He approached, eyes burning intensely.
"You passed."
"......"
"I'll be waiting in the main event."
He walked off.
"Yep, definitely nuts."
Sung Min-woo clutched his sides laughing.
"Puhahaha! You got him good."
"Sigh, gonna drive me crazy."
"Heh, what's wrong? It's fun."
"If it's so fun, you play with him."
"Nah, pass on that invite."
"Copying his speech now?"
"Don't judge me like that."
Mu-hyuk punched Sung Min-woo's gut.
No pain anyway.
Just venting.
"Oh ho, wanna try me?!"
"You little...!"
"Puhahat, okay, I'll stop."
"Jeez."
As he considered another swing, another passer appeared.
This time, Rudolph.
"Hoo."
"Tch."
The opposite of Asrahan's entrance.
Mu-hyuk grinned at Rudolph, who avoided his gaze and slunk to a corner.
Then he grumbled with Asrahan, killing time.
"Lots of familiar faces."
"Eh, 'familiar' is a stretch."
Time flowed on.
Even some top favorites showed up.
"Whoa, that guy's huge..."
"That's the martial artist Gus."
"One hit from him and you're done."
"And there's top ranker Ares."
"Damn."
Scanning the crowd in awe.
Almost everyone was here.
About time for the host.
Whoosh.
Against expectations, another prelim passer arrived.
Still more?
Probably the last.
Mu-hyuk's eyes widened at the sight.
"Huh...?"
A female user in a pink cape.
"Whoa, jackpot...!"
"Hup."
Not just her stunning beauty that had everyone gasping.
He knew her—made it pleasantly surprising.
Mu-hyuk removed his helmet. Yerin, glancing around, locked eyes on his face.
Her eyes sparkled, a smile blooming.
"Mu-hyuk-ssi?"
She recognized him too.
"Long time no see."
"Wow, it really is!"
"Didn't expect you to join."
"I'm a ranker too, you know. I heard you were in... but..."
Yerin pouted cutely.
Even that was pretty.
Sung Min-woo next to him was dumbfounded.
"H-Hey."
"Hm?"
"W-Who the hell is this? How do you know someone like her?!"
"Ah, we did a quest together before."
Mu-hyuk smiled at Yerin.
"My friend. Nickname's Iron Fist."
"Nice to meet you, Iron Fist-ssi."
"N-Nice to meet you! You're incredibly beautiful!"
Yerin's cheeks flushed faintly.
"Thank you."
"Hey, that's no way to talk to someone you just met..."
"Uh, uh? She's just so pretty."
"Have a seat here anyway."
"Should I?"
Yerin sat beside Mu-hyuk with a smile.
"You're a mage, right?"
"Yes."
"Aiming for top ranks then."
Yerin shook her head.
"Not really. These experiences are just fun."
Everyone fell silent at her shy smile.
Damn.
Realized beauty could be a weapon too.
Thud.
Footsteps approached.
The host had arrived.
"Thank you for waiting."
All eyes turned to him.
"With all prelim passers gathered, I'll explain briefly. You'll proceed to the main event starting in three hours. Everyone here passed the prelims, so your skills are acknowledged, but some likely advanced by luck. Reality demands clearer proof. Those who lucked out in prelims will drop in the first main round; only the truly skilled advance to the second. Details on the first main round in three hours. Until then, feel free to relax."
A few things could be inferred from his words.
"Ha, a second main round too?"
"Apparently."
"Third maybe?"
"Who knows. Won't be too long though."
Memories of his first strongest tournament were fuzzy.
How many rounds again?
Vague, but probably just two.
Whatever.
No point straining to remember—it'd be revealed in three hours anyway.
Won't change much knowing early.
"Let's grab some food quick."
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
Sung Min-woo glanced at Yerin.
"Um, by any chance..."
"Yes?"
"Dinner... together?"
"Ah, I live in Gangneung. Where you at?"
Gangneung was pretty far.
"S-Seoul."
"Too bad."
"Me too. Let's meet up sometime."
"Sure."
Sung Min-woo grinned goofily at her reply.
Mu-hyuk summed it up.
"Anyway, gonna eat and come back."
"Okay, see you."
Yerin logged out.
"She's gone."
"Yeah."
Mu-hyuk eyed Sung Min-woo.
"Whatever, just us two."
"Cool?"
"Deal."
Logging out, Mu-hyuk drove to a busy district, met Sung Min-woo, and entered a decent restaurant—busier than expected.
"Welcome!"
"Got a table?"
"Yes, one spot left. Right this way!"
Better seat than anticipated.
"Oh, good view of the TV."
"Huh? That's the Illusion prelims."
Most patrons watched the TV.
"Damn, it's popular."
Highlights made it flashy nonstop. Even the two participants couldn't look away.
"Ooh!"
They got hooked.
"That sneaky bastard! Ugh, not fair there! Jeez!"
Sung Min-woo's voice rose gradually.
"Um, sir..."
"Th-That, that! Dirty! Driving me nuts, seriously! Should I go wild in there?"
"S-Sir!"
"Huh?"
"When would you like to order?"
"Ah, order?"
"Yes."
"Right, haven't ordered. Two basic set meals please."
"Got it."
The server left; Sung Min-woo refocused, muttering fiercely.
"Well, well, doing it again! Argh, smash! Huh, hey, that's me for a sec. Ooh, badass!"
Stares turned to Sung Min-woo.
"Me too?"
"He participated."
"Prelim dropout though."
"Still high level."
"Yeah."
Oblivious, Sung Min-woo kept chiming in.
"Ugh, that, that one!"
"Sigh."
The embarrassment was all Mu-hyuk's.