Second Round: Skeleton Onslaught
Light burst from the examiner's palm.
It formed numbers.
2 and 11.
"Team 2, Team 11—come forward."
Everyone gathered here would witness the clash between these two teams.
"This is..."
The words trailed off unfinished, but most understood.
This second preliminary round allowed for a kind of scouting—gauging the competition's strength.
There was no downside to watching closely now.
I've got to focus.
Mu-hyuk took in every detail of the two teams' battle with sharp eyes.
Boom! Kaboom!
It was a spectacle of powerful skills colliding.
Team 2 had the better synergy, though.
"Who do you think wins?"
"I'm no god."
"Come on, you've got a feel for it."
"Team 2."
"Why?"
"Team 11's too reckless, all brute force."
"Oh ho."
Mu-hyuk's prediction proved spot on.
"Team 2 wins!"
With the examiner's call, Team 2's faces lit up. The defeated Team 11 slunk off the arena, heads bowed.
"Next teams..."
Light flared from the examiner's palm again, forming new numbers.
"Team 6 and Team 21."
Several more matchups followed in quick succession.
"Damn, the strong ones are really strong."
"No doubt..."
Even Mu-hyuk felt a flicker of tension.
The occasional glimpses of top rankers and elite players were enough to chill the blood. Baekrang, whom he'd already fought once, naturally came to mind.
Impressive.
It wasn't just Mu-hyuk's thought.
The broadcast crew, focused on filming, flinched repeatedly.
"Great shots!"
"The combat scenes are killer, right?"
"You bet! Hey, you—keep that steady!"
"S-sorry!"
Recording devices swarmed every angle.
Even the skies above.
Kaboom!
Explosions were captured with artistic flair.
"Ugh!"
The gripping battle reached its end.
"How many matches so far?"
"Sixth one's done."
"Just getting started."
The director grinned, satisfied.
The examiner spoke.
"Team 17, Team 31."
Finally, Mu-hyuk's Team 17 was called.
He rose from his seat.
"Alright, our turn at last?"
"I'm shaking, man."
Mu-hyuk and Eska said nothing.
They ascended to the arena calmly.
Mu-hyuk scanned their opponents from Team 31. One was a skilled player from his memories; the rest were unknowns.
But he wouldn't underestimate them.
They surely had a trick or two.
Maybe more. He'd assume the worst and go all out.
Pour everything into it.
One lesson from the Baekrang fight.
"Begin the match between these two teams."
As soon as the examiner's words fell, Mu-hyuk summoned his skeletons.
A gust of wind swept through, revealing 84 skeletons.
They materialized like magic, radiating sheer presence on their own.
"H-huh...!"
"That's a ton."
And it didn't end there.
"Spirit Summon."
Sung Min-woo's 12 spirits.
"Puppet Summon."
7 combat puppets and 15 non-combat ones.
Over 110 summons in total, filling the arena to the brim.
Naturally, eyes turned to Eska, who hadn't moved yet.
"That guy's a summoner too?"
"Jackpot if so."
Eska cleared his throat under the expectant stares.
"Ahem!"
Then he casually drew his greatsword.
"Aw, what? Just a greatsword warrior?"
"Bummer."
Despite trying to ignore the chatter drilling into his ears, Eska turned. The laughing users paid him no mind.
"Tch."
Fine—he'd show them with skill.
"Hah!"
His body flushed red.
Then he charged the enemy users.
Skills followed in a frenzy.
A mad warrior's frenzied dance.
Storm Blade, Powerful Arrow Shot.
Mu-hyuk didn't just watch.
Armor Archers, Power Shot.
Armor Knights and Armor Cavalry forward.
Bone Swords and regular cavalry positioned around the perimeter.
Unevolved ones would just shatter pointlessly anyway.
Better to buff them with Storm Blade and let them catch any flankers.
Storm Blade, Storm Blade.
He busily applied Storm Blade to the surrounding Bone Swords and cavalry, then summoned Skull Snakes and coated them in chaos potion.
As if nothing had happened, he resumed firing arrows at the enemies.
Skull Snakes, advance.
All while commanding the Skull Snakes simultaneously.
Meanwhile.
The four from Team 31 facing Mu-hyuk twisted their faces in horror.
"What the hell is..."
"Can we even win this?"
"Ridiculous."
One user stepped up, remarkably composed.
"Don't worry, guys. They're just summons. Tank, take the front. I'll hang back with Archer Heron as the mage. Assassin Wind, sneak in and take out their summoners. We'll thin the herd while advancing."
"O-okay."
"Sounds good."
The tank moved forward.
But he clicked his tongue at the lone user charging ahead of the summons.
"Archer, handle him."
"Got it!"
The archer's hands blurred.
Twang! Rat-tat-twang!
Incredible rapid fire.
Each arrow gleamed a different color.
Enough to halt Eska's charge. Seizing the gap, mage Karyl unleashed a powerful AoE spell.
To shatter the incoming skeletons in one go.
Kaboom!
As the blast's aftershock raged, the assassin slipped into motion.
"That should..."
Karyl hurled a wind spell to fan the flames. Dozens of skeletons must've crumbled.
-------!
It felt like a hammer to the skull.
"What...?"
Words failed him.
This make any sense?
The massive, shield-bearing skeletons shrugged off the blast like it was nothing.
Kirrik, kiririk.
Impossible.
"Lightning Field!"
Electricity crackled across the ground.
Summons staggered.
A few collapsed, convulsing.
"Insane!"
Most rose again.
Once more!
Another powerful spell erupted from his hands.
Kaboom!
Finally, a few skeletons shattered. But far too many still closed in. His face drained pale.
This can't happen—impossible!
The others?
The archer was exhausted blocking the greatsword user. No sign of the assassin.
The tank ahead wearied under the barrage of bone arrows and spells.
This way, they'd lose.
No—never!
He cast again.
"Die already!"
The explosion roared, but only two vanished.
"Ah..."
The 2-meter-plus armored behemoths lumbered closer.
*
Mu-hyuk's hand glowed purple.
Blessing of the Dead.
Used on cooldown, keeping what should've fallen upright.
Even if they couldn't do much, their presence alone pressured the enemies.
Hm, going smoothly.
No complacency, though.
Make it certain.
He glanced at Burtan.
The dancing skeleton clacked its jaw.
Kiaaaaa!
Ki Wave unleashed.
"Guh...!"
They froze.
Skull Snakes slithered into position around them.
Armor Knight, heavy strike.
Armor Cavalry, accelerated thrust.
The tank reeled.
"Raaah!"
Some roar skill. Freed from the Ki Wave, just as he moved— a nearby Skull Snake ensnared him.
You lose physical control for 3 seconds.
Despair flooded the tank's face.
The mage and archer recovered next. But Skull Snakes claimed them too.
They lost control, twitching in bizarre dances.
Faces flushed with humiliation, Mu-hyuk pressed the attack to end it swiftly.
Boom! Kaboom!
By the time the dust cleared, three users had been flung from the arena.
One left...
The assassin user. Stealth made him invisible.
Waiting was a hassle.
Mu-hyuk ordered his Armor Archers into a tight circle.
Armor Archers, rapid fire.
Bone arrows flew every which way.
"Gah!"
The struck assassin revealed himself.
Not far from Mu-hyuk.
Skeletons turned as one.
Kirrik?
Empty sockets gleamed like demonic eyes.
"Damn it, craaaap!"
The assassin lunged desperately at Mu-hyuk.
Thud.
Surrounding Bone Swords blocked with shields.
Clack, clack.
The skeleton legion trampled him mercilessly.
The second preliminary round.
Viewers watching live cheered from everywhere. Reactions fiercer than World Cup or Olympics peaks.
"Tournaments are the best to watch."
"Who'll take it?"
"The real deal will. We just enjoy the show."
With chicken and beer.
"Ahh, perfect!"
Then came the moments that drew utter focus.
Top rankers' overwhelming presence.
Their devastating skills.
Fluid, seamless motion.
"Whoa, cool."
"Can't even react."
"Even rankers have gaps."
That's when Team 17 appeared.
Mouths gaped at the arena packed with summons.
"Necromancers were this strong?"
"Uh, apparently."
A vibe utterly unlike prior fights.
Not user vs. user—this was like watching a miniature war.
Overwhelmed by the sheer might.
"So badass..."
To the point of total captivation.
*
The examiner approached.
"That's enough!"
Team 17 advanced from the second prelims.
"You pass. Head right and wait."
"Got it."
Light steps carried them to the right side of the arena.
"Too easy."
"All those summons."
Eska eyed Mu-hyuk steadily.
Hm.
His expression was grim.
With the third prelim looming.
He'd freshly grasped how formidable Mu-hyuk's skeletons were.
Would be a pain if we faced off.
Not that he'd lose, of course.
Eska shook off the thought.
"Whoa!"
"As expected..."
Users gasped; Mu-hyuk turned.
On the arena.
Team 1—all top rankers including Dark—and the already deflated Team 20 entered view.