Overwhelming Dominance
The situation was utterly overwhelming.
There weren't many mercenaries left from the Kairon Continent now.
The knight shouted loudly.
"Let's finish this!"
Everyone turned their gazes to the hostile players from the Kairon Continent and unleashed their skills in a barrage. At that moment, Sung Min-woo emerged from the entrance of the small city.
"Wha—what...!"
Sung Min-woo's expression turned frantic.
Of all places, the Kairon Continent players were clustered near the city gates. As a result, the skills fired by the Forma Continent mercenaries were all hurtling straight toward the city's entrance.
"Wait, hold on!"
Sung Min-woo cried out desperately, but it was too late.
"No, this is insane...!"
He whipped around in a panic.
There, the small city's residents who hadn't managed to escape were trembling in fear.
Damn it, why is the timing so awful!
He had brought them here to evacuate them, but the timing couldn't have been worse.
If Sung Min-woo dodged here, most of them would die.
But if he tried to block it, he'd be the one dying.
A 24-hour penalty flashed in his mind.
No choice.
The decision didn't take long.
Whoosh.
He raised his shield and braced himself.
"All spirits, defensive formation!"
The spirits took their positions as well.
It can't break through...!
At that instant, a gust of wind blew in. It halted right in front of Sung Min-woo and took form.
"Huh? You...?"
"You know there's no time to talk, right?"
"Y-yeah."
The one approaching Sung Min-woo was none other than Mu-hyuk.
He took his stance.
His eyes locked onto the incoming skills.
The hostile players positioned ahead.
Ignoring them, he swung his sword.
White Tiger Swordsmanship—First, Second, and Third Forms.
Earth Shaker. Killing Strike.
He then drew his bow and nocked an arrow.
Sky-Piercing Archery—First, Second, and Third Forms.
He didn't stop there, unleashing every remaining skill in a torrent.
Surging sword strikes. Homing arrows. Multi-shot...
Sung Min-woo joined in, firing skills alongside his spirits.
Not far away, the massive energies clashed.
Boom! KABOOM!
A colossal shockwave erupted.
Mushroom-shaped clouds billowed up.
The intense suction pulled in the wind.
It was destructive enough to shake their balance.
But it fell just a bit short.
Damn...!
It seemed insufficient to block every skill from the Kairon Continent players.
A lot of energy had collided and detonated, but plenty more skills were arriving late.
I have to block this.
Mu-hyuk raised his shield.
The skeletons were approaching from afar, but they were still too distant.
Too late.
He had no choice but to endure it alone—no, with Sung Min-woo.
With the summon absorption skill's effects still lingering, he was confident he wouldn't die.
But one thing worried him: whether he'd have enough left to deal with the Kairon Continent hostiles charging in for one last desperate attack after blocking the skills.
"Kill that bastard at least!"
"Damn it, we're dying anyway—take that filthy scum with us!"
"That guy's protecting NPCs, so everyone, pour it on!"
"Heh, let's see you take it, you son of a bitch!"
Can I survive this?
Doesn't matter.
Mu-hyuk could log back in after 24 hours, but the NPCs behind him would be gone forever if they died.
There was no reason or need to hesitate.
He urgently slammed his sword into the ground.
KABOOM!
The immense energy collided right after.
[HP...]
His HP plummeted at an insane rate.
Exchange.
It consumed a huge chunk of MP, but it wasn't over yet.
At that moment, the spirits stepped forward.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, still good."
The spirits melted away in an instant.
"Hup!"
Sung Min-woo tanked a few more skills before being blown back, while Mu-hyuk drove his sword deeper into the ground to hold his position.
The blade gouged the earth as he was pushed back bit by bit, but he was still holding.
Exchange.
His MP was nearly depleted now.
Thud! Thump!
Even so, the skills kept coming.
This is dangerous.
Only when his HP dropped below half and his MP hit rock bottom did the attacks finally stop.
In the distance, he could see the knight and players waving their hands—probably signaling to cease additional attacks.
Lucky.
But the hostile Kairon Continent players closing in were still there.
"Die, you bastard!"
At that moment, Mu-hyuk grinned.
Fortunately, he still had a few skills left.
Latent Power Burst
Power surged from Mu-hyuk's body.
With the absorbed summons still boosting him, the efficiency of Latent Power Burst was straight-up broken.
Puk! Puk-puk!
Without even using skills—just raw movement—the Kairon Continent hostiles couldn't dodge Mu-hyuk's attacks at all.
"You monster...!"
He swept them all away.
"Whew."
Only then did the NPCs behind Sung Min-woo approach.
"Th-thank you."
"Truly grateful..."
"Thanks, bro!"
From children to adults, they all expressed their thanks to Mu-hyuk and Sung Min-woo. Thinking that such people existed all across the continent weighed heavily on his heart.
*
Having successfully reclaimed the small city, Mu-hyuk set aside his long-overdue enhancement work and logged out.
He'd been pushing himself hard lately and was quite fatigued.
Whew, time to rest today.
As he entered the living room, his mother Lee Hye-yeon was watching TV.
"Back already?"
"Yeah."
"Hungry? I'll set the table right away."
Lee Hye-yeon headed to the kitchen and quickly prepared dinner.
"Here, eat up."
"Thanks for the meal."
Various side dishes and kimchi jjigae.
Mu-hyuk took a spoonful of rice and picked up a side dish. The sweet-salty flavor mingled perfectly with the rice grains, adding a savory depth.
Next, he scooped some kimchi jjigae—the pork, kimchi, and refreshing broth harmonized to whet his appetite.
"How is it?"
"Delicious. Different from before?"
"I've been learning to cook from friends lately."
"Oh, right. Yeah."
Lee Hye-yeon looked at him worriedly.
"You're not playing the game too much, are you? Your eyes look sunken..."
"Got some important stuff going on. Planning to rest after this wraps up."
"Good thinking."
As their everyday conversation continued,
"Huh?"
Mu-hyuk had already polished off a full bowl of rice.
"More?"
"Yeah, just one spoonful."
"Got it."
Lee Hye-yeon scooped a heaping spoonful into his bowl.
"That's not one spoonful..."
"It is—one spoonful. Gotta eat plenty of rice to build strength."
"It's a lot though..."
He grumbled but his hand moved on its own.
Scooping rice and eating.
Ladling kimchi jjigae into his mouth.
Mmm, so good.
Before he knew it, he'd devoured what had seemed like a huge portion.
"All gone."
"See?"
Mu-hyuk picked up his empty bowl and headed to the sink.
"Mom'll clean up—go rest."
"It's fine."
"I'm fine too."
"Okay."
Pushed gently on the back, Mu-hyuk sat on the living room sofa and turned on the TV.
[Let's charge ahead full throttle again today?]
Just in time, Illusion's World—with Yura as MC—started.
"Here, try some of this too."
His mother finished the dishes in a flash and brought sliced fruit. He munched on them while watching the show.
*
Amid the large and small battles erupting across the Forma Continent, Illusion's World was bustling as ever, capturing one of the countless clashes on screen. Being live today made them extra cautious and deliberate.
[Can you see it?]
The male MC nodded at Yura's words.
[Yep. Intense as always. Kinda scary just watching.]
Fortunately, the battle footage was solid.
[It fires me up, personally.]
[Yura, you're always so impressive.]
[Why?]
Yura tilted her head.
[I dunno... like a fierce warrior woman?]
[A compliment?]
[Of course!]
[Thanks. Just my personality—can't stand losing.]
[Pretty straightforward too.]
[Yeah, that's me.]
[Well then, let's dive in refreshingly today!]
[Sounds good!]
The two MCs advanced toward the battlefield.
The cameramen filming them drew closer to the action too.
Boom! Kaboom!
It was fiercer than expected.
A real dogfight.
[Looks like they might fail the reclamation if this keeps up.]
[Indeed. Forma Continent users are being pushed back.]
That was when it happened.
NPCs who hadn't escaped in time appeared—ordinary folk bursting out from all directions around the village with desperate expressions.
[Wha—what...!]
But the fallout from the nearby fighting was too great; most of them were injured or killed.
Grip.
Yura's face hardened at the sight.
Her fist clenched involuntarily.
[Those bastards...!]
She held back the curse for the broadcast, but her expression said it all.
She probably wanted to charge in, draw her sword, and cut down the Kairon users herself.
[They're not even players—NPCs...!]
[Hmm.]
The male MC looked grim too.
NPCs were gone for good once killed.
One thing most Illusion players agreed on: after experiencing it firsthand, no one could look at an NPC and call them "not human."
Seeing them die right there hit harder than expected.
Viewers watching the broadcast felt the same.
On the Illusion's World homepage,
a post quickly went up.
I mean, come on. I lived in that village for 3 months straight. Got close to so many people there! Sure, they're NPCs, not real humans. But screw that—does it matter? They talked to me, thought, lived alongside me! I'm gonna lose it... The shock's too much; my head's all messed up. Don't even know what I'm typing anymore. Sigh, can't log in now anyway 'cause of the death penalty from dying there. Driving me nuts for real...
The post racked up tons of comments.
Many empathized.
Those shocked.
Those who could only vent through text.
They were all of one mind.
Yura felt the same.
[This isn't right...!]
Her words hung heavily in the air.