Semifinal Showdowns
Mu-hyuk's overwhelming victory against Mulan was being broadcast live across South Korea.
It was a bit disappointing, though.
On the Forma Continent, home to Asians—China, India, Japan, South Korea, and more—with a population of two billion, the strongest battle tournament was underway. For a South Korean player to reach the semifinals was more than enough to spark buzz.
Even those who didn't play Illusion were tuning in.
Just like the Olympics or World Cup.
[Mu-hyuk heads to the waiting room.]
[What a proud moment.]
Mu-hyuk's retreating figure filled the screen.
[Now, let's watch the second semifinal match.]
The screen switched.
[Players are entering.]
[Yes, Gurs and Asrahan.]
[Gurs is already a famous top ranker, sometimes called the Brutal Martial Artist. Asrahan, on the other hand, isn't well-known.]
[Right. He's been called lucky a lot. His skills seem average, honestly.]
[Wonder how far that luck will take him this time.]
The judge appeared.
"Begin!"
The match resumed.
Fwosh.
Asrahan moved first.
[Asrahan charges. Gurs casually assumes a stance.]
[Yeah, he doesn't seem to be dodging at all.]
[The Brutal Martial Artist wouldn't.]
Asrahan reached Gurs and swung his dagger. Gurs blocked it with his steel gauntlet, then aimed a punch at his abdomen with his free hand.
[Huh?]
Doubt crept into the caster's voice.
[Asrahan vanished!]
[No, he reappeared behind!]
Gurs responded calmly.
[But it's not working!]
[Gurs unleashes a barrage on Asrahan!]
*
The moment he clashed with Gurs, Asrahan hid in his shadow. At the same time, he created a clone behind Gurs.
No matter how great Gurs was, he wouldn't spot this trick.
His good draw had let him hold back his techniques until now. It was time to use them to topple the top ranker before him.
He'd entered the tournament to fight Mu-hyuk.
Win here, and he could go all out against him.
So I'll win.
Asrahan watched Gurs attack the clone from the safety of the shadow.
The time was right.
The longer he stayed hidden, the more damage built up—and it had reached a satisfying level.
[Damage increasing.]
[Damage increasing.]
[Damage increasing...]
No need to wait longer.
The clone's HP had hit zero.
"Haaap!"
Gurs finished off the clone.
Now.
Asrahan emerged from the shadow in that opening, swinging his dagger. Three lights blended perfectly, stabbing into Gurs's side and exploding in an instant.
100% critical.
Damage amplified.
Plus a single-target skill.
That would shave off over 30% of his HP right off the bat.
[Damage amplified applied.]
The shock would be massive.
"Hup...!"
As expected, Gurs's face twisted in surprise for a split second.
Gurs twisted his body desperately, throwing a punch at Asrahan behind him. The wind pressure sharpened like a blade, threatening to shred the air itself.
But Asrahan had already retreated far enough after landing his hit.
Of course, Gurs wasn't letting him escape that easily. He closed in to press the attack, but the Shadow Dancer's skills proved trickier than expected.
*
The caster's voice rose in excitement.
[What? How?]
[This flips expectations. Thought Gurs would dominate, but now he's on the back foot.]
[Totally unexpected.]
[Unique class, right?]
[Yeah, Asrahan's showing skills we've never seen.]
The fierce battle continued.
Then the momentum shifted.
[Hang on...]
[It's changing.]
[Yeah, Gurs seems to have adapted to Asrahan's skills.]
[His attacks aren't landing cleanly anymore.]
[And the fight's gone on a while. Gurs's physical stats must be way up by now.]
[That skill of his is insane.]
[It's why he's called brutal.]
[Starts even, but as it drags on, the gap widens massively. Lots of people misunderstood at first—thought he was toying with opponents or too arrogant.]
[Now we know better.]
[Just a special skill—physical abilities ramp up the longer the fight goes.]
[Still, Asrahan's holding his own well.]
The fight was dead even.
Pure intensity.
But bit by bit—ever so slightly—it was tilting toward Gurs. He began pressing with his boosted physical prowess.
"Haaap!"
"Ngh."
Air trembled with every clash.
Boom, kwang!
The sound of dagger meeting fist was unbelievable.
Sparks flashed across the wide training ground.
[Incredible.]
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
Utterly absorbed in the duel.
"Ah..."
A gasp echoed.
The match was over.
Gurs knelt, breathing heavily. He slowly rose, roaring in victory.
[Gurs takes the win!]
[Asrahan can't hide his disappointment below.]
[What a match.]
The next bout followed immediately.
Shadow Archer Ares versus the hidden powerhouse swordsman Miyamoto.
[Amazing from Swordsman Miyamoto!]
Miyamoto claimed victory.
Defeating the top ranker Ares.
Next up: Druid player Taesan versus Holy Knight Dark.
[Dark dominates.]
Victory went to Dark, as expected.
[Semifinal bracket complete.]
[First semifinal: Mu-hyuk vs Gurs. Second: Miyamoto vs Dark. Winners face off in the final.]
Mu-hyuk versus Gurs began.
[Those skeletons never get old.]
[Gurs smashes them with raw power, but Armor Knights hold up well.]
[If they can tank, Gurs is in trouble.]
[Armor Archers' arrows are hard to deal with too.]
[And the Mages? Their magic hits too hard!]
The screen cut away briefly.
[Asrahan? Watching even after elimination.]
[Looks pretty satisfied, though.]
They were right.
Asrahan was thoroughly pleased.
My choice was spot on.
If Mu-hyuk lost to Gurs while he planned to stalk him?
He might switch to tailing Gurs instead.
My eyes don't lie.
Asrahan smirked to himself.
"Win it all."
Only then would toppling him be worthwhile.
Boom, kwakwang!
Meanwhile, the duel on the training ground reached its peak.
It's over.
Asrahan turned away.
Time to hunt.
To beat Mu-hyuk, he needed to grow more.
The final?
Obviously Mu-hyuk versus Dark.
Winner unpredictable.
Even if Dark won, he wouldn't follow a Holy Knight.
Too annoying.
That was why he left without watching the final.
*
Mu-hyuk, now in the finals, watched the hidden expert Miyamoto face off against rank 1 Dark from below the training ground.
His next opponent would be one of them.
Didn't matter who—he was ready.
I can do this.
He tried to think positive. Thoughts had power; they often became reality. Someone with 10 in talent might only show 5 from anxiety, while one with 7 could hit 10 with belief. If you think you can't, even possibles fail—so Mu-hyuk believed he could.
I have to win. No question.
For that number one prize, at least.
"Woooaaah!"
"Insane!"
The cheers snapped him back.
Hm?
Against expectations, Miyamoto and Dark's fight was fiercely contested.
Dark's furrowed brow showed he wasn't playing around.
Miyamoto swung his sword.
A seemingly casual strike that halted Dark's momentum. A flow-breaking attack.
Annoying.
Dark's eyebrow twitched.
Not just any attack.
Looked like he trained with swords in real life too.
Simple yet profound.
No matter Dark's talent, he couldn't match deep martial arts he hadn't studied.
Sure, his natural gifts let him learn fighting, sports, knowledge faster than most.
Adapting to Illusion, hunting monsters—it came easy.
But even that talent couldn't gauge Miyamoto's sword realm.
No choice.
This was a game, after all.
Levels were king.
Gear carried.
Dark figured he had both.
Level and gear power.
Time to overwhelm.
Not ideal, but...
Dark fell back.
Fwosh.
Miyamoto pursued, thrusting. The blade shouldn't have reached, yet it grazed his abdomen.
HP dropped, but Dark ignored it. A few more wouldn't matter.
One heal skill would top it off. Thinking that, Dark halted his retreat.
"Haaap!"
He slammed his right hand's Ifrit's Sword into the ground.
Thud.
Then hurled his left hand's Ifrit's Shield like a boomerang.
The Ifrit set effect activated.