Baekho Sega's Crushing Might
Mu-hyuk's smile deepened the more he pieced together the incident between Baekho Sega and The King Guild.
Jackpot.
A thrill of excitement coursed through his entire body.
Then he spotted another video link.
Mu-hyuk clicked the link too.
Video playback.
It started with hundreds of The King Guild members marching toward Baekho Sega.
Of course, they couldn't breach the interior. The gates swung open first, and out charged Family Head Baekho Un, the chief steward, and the warriors.
The setup was the same as last time, but the atmosphere was different. Purely by numbers, The King Guild had the edge.
The King Guild charged.
Baekho Un's roar exploded at that moment.
-------!
It boosted morale for allies and instilled fear and terror in the enemy.
Thud.
Eight shadows leaped through the air, landing squarely in front of The King Guild.
The chief steward on the left, protectors on the right. Five elders radiated aura from the rear.
These were Baekho Sega's strongest, so the pressure they exuded was no joke.
But The King Guild members this time were all-in, staking their lives.
Forcing their stiffening bodies forward.
Boom boom boom!
They unleashed their strongest skills on the eight warriors.
Dust billowed up.
They were sure they'd dealt massive damage.
A gust scattered the dust. The King Guild's faces hardened at the sight. The Baekho Sega warriors were utterly unscathed.
The King Guild charged in fury.
The family head and elites plunged into their center, while rear warriors sealed off escapes, squeezing them.
The overwhelming eight elites, plus the numerous trained warriors who'd honed teamwork, crushed The King Guild.
A few players slipped away, sneaking toward Baekho Sega's interior.
With venomous glares, they evaded the fight and crept toward Baekho Sega.
But as they crossed the threshold, shadows emerged from all sides, thrusting swords.
Stab.
The blade pierced a tiny gap in the armor, triggering a critical hit.
A few strikes drained their HP, and they faded away.
The shadows vanished again, picking off occasional intruders.
The screen shifted with Baekho Un's shout.
Whoosh.
The remaining King Guild members all turned to dust.
"As expected."
Mu-hyuk stood after watching it all.
He'd only gotten a tiny taste of Baekho Sega's power.
Honestly, he couldn't even guess its limits.
Was that really everything?
It felt like not just Baekho Un, but the entire Baekho Sega was holding back. He felt inexplicably good about forging a good connection with them.
A moment later.
He logged into Illusion and formed a party with Sung Min-woo, Yerin, and Kim Ji-yeon.
"Hey, bro. The homepage is blowing up."
"Yeah, Baekho Sega and The King Guild?"
"Yep!"
"Watched the video. Pretty fun."
"Me too. That happened 'cause they tried to take a quest from your broadcast, right?"
"Probably?"
Sung Min-woo chimed in from the side.
"Your broadcast got a bunch of people killed. Kekeke."
"The King Guild jumped the gun. What can you do."
"True. Messing with them without knowing the opponent? But that chief steward and family head were insanely strong. Beyond imagination."
"Yeah, at least level 300, I'd guess."
"Whoa, 300?"
"Just a hunch."
"Hmm, thinking about it, yeah, they gotta be over 300."
"So be careful around Baekho Sega."
"Obviously."
Mu-hyuk had no desire to make enemies of Baekho Sega either. Clearing this quest cleanly came first.
As they bantered idly, they arrived at the Tower of Death.
Then the most important thing hit him.
"Oh, right. Like I said yesterday, I picked up a quest."
"Tower of Death, floor 50?"
"Yeah. Let's share it first."
"Okay."
He opened the quest and hit share.
Sharing quest 'Tower of Death' with party members.
Sung Min-woo gawked at the reward.
"It's really a martial art as the reward."
"Can't go wrong learning it."
No, he was actually looking forward to it. He'd confirmed it with his own eyes in the video. Baekho Un's strength.
"Ah, wanna learn it ASAP. Let's clear floor 50 quick!"
"Sure."
They entered the tower and picked up the pace.
Maybe because of the quest.
Having a goal made them more motivated than usual.
"Here it comes."
The floor 50 monster appeared.
A bipedal monster wielding a massive axe. Towering at 3 meters with muscles tougher than armor—this mid-boss monster, Hector, approached with fangs bared.
"What the hell is that...?"
"Sudden boss?"
"Kill this and the real boss comes?"
"Probably."
"Then two for the key? Sigh, gem supply..."
"We'll see once we kill it."
They nodded and prepared for battle.
Kiririk.
Skeleton summons, spirits, and squirrels appeared. Magic and bone arrows flew at Hector first.
Hector slammed his axe into the ground.
Thud, thud, boom!
One strike shattered the floor tiles, launching them upward.
Two strikes ignited them in fierce flames.
Three sent them bullet-fast.
They collided with incoming magic and bone arrows.
---------!
The confined space amplified the sound, deafening their ears. The ensuing blast made staying balanced tough.
Armor Cavalry, full charge.
Even then, the Armor Cavalry pierced the wind toward Hector, not far off, to trample him relentlessly.
Whoosh.
True to his mid-boss name, Hector was powerful. A casual axe swing sent charging cavalry flying back.
Their speed amplified the damage.
The tumbled cavalry rattled to their feet. But their warhorses were shattered, and the riders weren't normal either.
Storm, forward.
He applied Storm to them and sent them ahead. Hector swung again; as they took damage, Storm detonated.
Boom!
It dealt solid damage.
But not enough.
Far from it.
Yetis, Ice Hold.
Bone arrows flew into the frozen gap.
Burtan, Ki Wave.
Knights arrived, encircling him.
Armor Knights, Powerful Strike.
All swung swords.
Command Authority activated.
He delegated authority, then used Wind Step to close in.
Power of Darkness
MP (100) consumed.
Deals fixed damage to hostile living beings in range.
MP (7) recovered.
HP (7) recovered.
He slashed close.
Storm, Cross Slash.
No critical, but heavy damage. Hector's counter was faster than expected. The axe grazed his side. As his body reeled back.
Storm, Power Dash.
Skill shattered physics.
Thud!
Shoulder rammed Hector's gut.
Storm, Mortal Strike.
The pure white bracelet's special option, Mortal Strike, pierced the gut.
-6,399 Damage
Additional -11,520 Damage
Nearly 18,000 total damage.
Kill it!
Mortal Strike's 320% coefficient made it possible. And it wasn't over.
The pitch-black bracelet's special option remained.
Earthquake.
Couldn't layer Storm, but solid damage.
Wind Step.
He retreated, fired arrows, assessed the field.
Poison Ogres, Pierce.
They hammered the confused Hector.
The pattern repeated.
"Just die already!"
As frustration peaked against the undying Hector.
Grrr, grrr.
The beast collapsed, spent.
"Hoo."
"Finally dead. For real."
They approached, collected the dropped gems.
Corpse Dissection.
He dissected the corpse for bones.
◈ Traits: Strength, Agility, Vitality
After deliberation, he removed bones from Armor Knight 1, similar in size.
Armor Knight 1's Vitality decreases.
Dexterity influence: -0.12
Inserted Hector's bones.
Armor Knight 1's Vitality increases.
Dexterity influence: +0.48
Armor Knight 1's Strength increases.
Dexterity influence: +0.48
Boss bones, maybe.
Vitality and Strength up by 0.48 each.
"Ho."
Mid-boss bones gave big boosts.
They'd stick around here awhile...
His summons could grow rapidly. Excited, Mu-hyuk minimized breaks.
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah."
Before leaving, Revive on Hector.
"Krr, sturdy guy."
They chuckled and pressed on.
How far did they go?
A massive door loomed ahead, black mist before it.
Immune to physical attacks, but took extra magic damage.
To demonstrate, he sent Armor Cavalry first.
"Huh?"
He feigned surprise.
"Bro, what's up?"
"Attacks not landing?"
"For real?"
"Yeah, says no physical damage."
Sung Min-woo unleashed a spirit.
Boom!
Magic test.
"Huh? Magic works?"
"Then prioritize mages and spirits."
"Got it."
Strategy set, action taken.
Many summons, plus Hector's massive HP tanked Mongma's attacks long.
When mage cooldowns reset, they stunned Mongma, ensuring no dodges.
Bang, boom!
It took time, but they felled it smoothly.
As viewers chimed in, Mu-hyuk stowed the gems and dissected the corpse.
Acquired Mongma's Bone.
◈ Traits: Knowledge, Wisdom
Perfect for a mage.
Swapping bones boosted Knowledge and Wisdom by 0.48 each.
Exp was plentiful too.
Summons' stats surged.
Nice.
A smile crept across Mu-hyuk's lips.