Claiming the Throne
Mu-hyuk charged forward without hesitation.
Thud thud thud.
The First Guild members followed right behind him.
Mu-hyuk, the first to breach the enemy lines, swung his longsword in a wide arc.
A harsh metallic clang echoed as a powerful impact raced up his arm. A smile crept onto his face from the sheer thrill.
Storm Blade, Storm Blade, Storm Blade...!
He rampaged relentlessly, unleashing Storm Blade without pause.
Boom, kwang kwang!
He pursued a rebounding user and thrust his sword into them. He loosed arrows at those pulling away. For foes at a distance, he extended his hand and cast Blessing of the Dead.
By then, his comrades had caught up, so Mu-hyuk fell back momentarily to assess the battlefield.
"Hoo."
With a more relaxed expression, he drew his dagger.
Alright, let's go again.
He targeted a single user and closed in.
Wind Step.
Up close, he slashed with the dagger, piercing between the armor plates.
Whoosh!
Storm Blade + Critical Hit
◈ Vitality (+0.1)
He rolled across the ground and ducked behind a skeleton that was still hanging on.
Scraaape!
The skeleton shattered pointlessly, but it bought him a moment to disrupt the enemy's timing.
He swiftly shifted to the side, tripped the foe, and stomped down hard.
"Hup!"
As he moved toward the two who had collided and were tumbling together—an enemy user approaching from the front—
"You bastard...!"
A man with a feminine band wrapped around his forehead thrust his snarling face forward.
His slouched shoulders alone hinted at his rowdy personality.
"What's with that look? Oh yeah? You don't even remember me, huh?"
"..."
"Fuck, we fought once in the preliminaries of the strongest warrior tournament!"
"Did we?"
There had been so many people in the preliminaries, after all.
"I'm a top ranker too! Kang Junho, Kang Junho! Remember it!"
"Got it, so shut up and come at me."
"You little shit. I'll make you regret this."
Kang Junho charged, clanging his iron gloves together.
There was no need to block or counter.
Wind Step. Storm Blade.
He circled to the side and slashed with the dagger.
-720 HP
-144 Damage Reflected
-1296 HP
-259 Damage Reflected
The messages made Mu-hyuk frown involuntarily.
Reflected damage?
Kang Junho burst into smug laughter.
"Kekeke, how's that? My reflection damage!"
"Hmm."
"Attack me and your HP drops, hit by me and it drops! You're gonna die anyway!"
Kang Junho accelerated and slammed into Mu-hyuk's abdomen.
Kwaang!
Mu-hyuk flew back but stabbed his shield into the ground to halt his momentum.
He hadn't even regained his balance yet, but it didn't matter.
Storm Blade, Power Attack.
A movement that defied even natural laws.
There was a skill called Power Attack that shot forward at terrifying speed, slamming his shoulder into Kang Junho's chest.
"Wha—what...!"
The massive damage hit Mu-hyuk too, but it was just around 1,000 HP lost.
In contrast, for Kang Junho?
He was probably too stunned for the word "thought" to even register in his mind.
Not that tricky after all.
Mu-hyuk had Exp Exchange anyway.
"Hup!"
He quickly steadied himself and swung his sword.
Storm Blade, Cross Slash.
As another massive damage poured in, Kang Junho hastily retreated.
Mu-hyuk sheathed the dagger at his waist and drew the transforming longsword.
Transform, Storm Blade, Powerful Arrow Shot.
A single arrow sliced through the air.
Puk.
It embedded straight into Kang Junho's face.
"Uh, uhh..."
He collapsed limply and soon faded away.
Dead.
Mu-hyuk passed by, sheathing the longsword and drawing the dagger again.
The area was still swarming with enemies. Tasty prey rampaging everywhere.
Wind Step.
Close in and stab with the dagger.
Puk, pook.
He dispatched one in an instant and moved on.
The excitement from the fierce combat, confidence in his skills. And the bonus stats gained along the way.
Hold on, keep holding.
That way, this guild war could truly become a proper chance for growth.
◈ Agility (+0.1)
As he scanned for his next target, Mu-hyuk froze.
"Hah."
The fight was already over.
Dong!
The drumbeat snapped him back to attention.
He turned and fixed his gaze on the castle gate.
Dodging or blocking the attacks raining from the walls, he pressed forward.
The distance was short, so the First Guild reached the gate in a flash.
"Smash the gate!"
Attacks concentrated on the massive gate.
Gate Energy: 99%
The energy drained slower than expected.
Gate Energy: 75%
Even now, attacks hammered down from the walls.
"Don't hold back on skills!"
"Break it in one go!"
With various skills piling on, the pace quickened.
Gate Energy: 29%
It plummeted to 5% in a blink.
4, 3, 2, 1.
Finally, the gate shattered.
*
Taiken sat on the throne deep inside the castle. After a short wait, a man hurried toward him.
"Guild Master!"
"Yes, the situation?"
"Squad 2 exited through the side gate. They're engaged in a chaotic melee not far from the main gate."
"Chaotic melee, huh..."
"We're supporting steadily from the walls, but in a melee, it's hard to use strong skills without risk. So the situation is..."
"Not good?"
"Yes."
Taiken gripped the armrest tightly.
"Go. Report any changes."
"Understood."
The man left, but soon returned panting heavily.
"What?"
"Th-the gate's broken!"
"What...?"
"The guild members on the walls have all come down, and a fierce battle is underway again!"
"Rose and the others?"
"Lady Rose is holding at the gate, and the top rankers are guarding this path with 200 elites."
Taiken furrowed his brow.
Sending the top rankers guarding the path to the battlefield felt risky, imagining worst-case scenarios. But holding them back meant Rose and the guild members inside might all die.
"Squad 5."
"Pardon?"
"Leave five top rankers and 100 elites below them. Send the rest to the entrance."
"Got it!"
The man dashed off.
About 10 minutes later, he returned with a report.
"L-Lady Rose and the top rankers. Everyone on the walls..."
The rest was obvious.
And that imagination became reality.
"Have died."
"..."
But there was still hope. 105 blockers on the path, including five top rankers. It wouldn't be easy to break through. Their losses en route wouldn't be light either.
"Their casualties?"
"Th-that's..."
The hesitating man continued.
"Very minimal."
"What?"
Taiken thought he'd misheard.
"Minimal..."
"Exact numbers."
"First side losses are around 500!"
"500? Just 500...?"
"Yes...!"
"How?"
"Th-the skeletons absorbed most of the attacks..."
He hadn't misheard.
Yet he couldn't believe it.
No, he didn't want to.
He couldn't accept this overwhelming defeat.
"Go check again."
"Yes!"
But the man never returned.
More precisely, he couldn't return.
A short while later.
The First Guild suffered far fewer losses even against the path blockers.
Mu-hyuk, Sung Min-woo, the knight captain, and 10 holy knights handled the five top rankers.
The remaining 100 elites couldn't hold against over 1,000 NPCs, no matter their skill.
"Phew, last stretch now?"
"Kek, easier than expected?"
"Good strategy."
"Yeah, moving to the drumbeat looked pretty cool."
They traversed the empty path for a while.
Then, a small castle appeared.
At the end of a long corridor, a single chair.
Taiken sat there.
Mu-hyuk approached with a blank expression and drew his longsword.
"Come down."
"You think you deserve that?"
"More than you?"
"Strutting after one win. If it weren't for..."
The NPCs from the Hemil Empire.
Taiken swallowed the words.
"Fine, come down."
"You come get me."
He'd have to do it himself, then.
Transform, Storm Blade, Powerful Arrow Shot.
He nocked an arrow and aimed at the head of the man on the throne.
Pang!
The attack was blocked more easily than expected.
Hmm...?
Taiken had caught the arrow by its shaft.
Mu-hyuk's eyes twitched slightly.
So the guild master has some chops.
Multishot, Storm Blade, Storm Blade, Storm Blade...
Storm energy infused five arrows.
They flew in different trajectories, but all targeted Taiken.
Taiken eyed the incoming arrows with cold, sunken gaze, then casually swung both arms.
All five arrows ended up in his grasp.
But he took damage.
Bang, boom boom boom!
The Storm Blades detonated, devouring massive HP.
"Hup...!"
Startled briefly, Taiken quickly regained his composure and stared at Mu-hyuk.
He knew flailing now wouldn't win.
Yet his eyes held no easy surrender.
A resolute aura emanated from him—tenacious, almost obsessive.
It wasn't explosive, just steadily permeating the space around him.
A heavy, oppressive force that weighed on the shoulders.
Mu-hyuk lowered his bow hand.
Step.
Using the bow as a staff.
Transformed it into a sword.
Strong.
In combat terms.
In spirit.
Taiken was undoubtedly a formidable foe.
A destined rival.
One likely to persist ahead.
But for now, Mu-hyuk would face him properly.
Wind Step.
With full power, to break him.
*
After the fierce battle, it was Mu-hyuk who sat on the throne.