Chapter 140: How a Veteran Shakes Up the Battlefield (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 140: How a Veteran Shakes Up the Battlefield (3)
The one who appeared over the hill was one of the figures the Demonic Human Association was keeping a close eye on.
Cheon Yu-seong.
The Sword Saint... or the Sword Demon, as he was called.
'Fucking hell.'
Hosenbelt's face twisted grimly.
If he were the only reinforcement, Hosenbelt wouldn't have been this flustered.
He admitted Cheon Yu-seong was a tricky opponent, but after all, he was just one person.
The problem was the massive crowd of people swarming behind him.
Every single one of them possessed formidable internal energy.
Judging by their emblems, they were undoubtedly players from the Zhonghua Guild.
'There's no way Kang Jinhyuk or Cheon Yu-seong are on friendly terms with the Zhonghua Guild.'
Especially Jinhyuk—hadn't he humiliated both the Zhonghua and Black Cloud Guilds on the show [Recruiting Rankers, Climbing the Tower of Trials]?
No matter how rationally he thought about it, this combination made absolutely no sense.
But.
No matter how many possibilities he ran through his head or how hard he racked his brain for a solution, there was nothing Hosenbelt could do in this situation.
* * *
Namgung Cheon, the pillar of the Zhonghua Guild and the pinnacle of all Chinese players.
He had been in a very foul mood lately because of a certain player who had recently visited China.
Some arrogant bastard had barged into one of the branches managed by the Zhonghua Guild and caused a massive scene, demanding a duel.
And to make matters worse, he was wearing the exact same mask as the person Namgung Cheon least wanted to see.
This wasn't decades ago when people went around challenging dojos. The branch managers of the Zhonghua Guild had simply ignored his request.
Because hundreds of people came every day trying to appeal to the guild this way, the order to turn him away had been exceptionally harsh.
But the opponent had recklessly drawn his sword anyway.
Fine. If you want one of your limbs broken that badly, we'll grant your wish.
With that thought, the branch managers cracked their knuckles.
However.
The outcome was completely unexpected.
The Zhonghua Guild players who had stepped up to crush him all ended up in the hospital.
Arms, legs... not a single part of their bodies was left intact. It had been a completely one-sided beatdown.
Since there was even a raid leader-class ranker among them, they could no longer treat the situation as a joke.
To top it off, the man had left a disgusting provocation.
"Good grief. I bet the backscratcher of old man Park at my local senior center hits harder than this. If you're going to call yourselves 'Zhonghua' with this pathetic level of skill, you might as well open a Chinese restaurant and sell Guobaorou. Especially that guy Namgung Cheon or whatever his name is—tell him this: if he feels wronged, come to the 7th floor. Not only am I there, but so is the strongest, most supreme being in the universe, Lord Kang Jinhyuk. If he isn't too chicken to show up, we'll show him what a real difference in class looks like."
His voice had been incredibly awkward, as if he were reading straight from a textbook.
Almost as if he were reciting something someone else had written down for him.
But to Namgung Cheon, the man's voice didn't matter.
'Kang Jinhyuk. I can kill that trash, and then I can kill this fearless bastard too.'
With that goal in mind, Namgung Cheon personally led his raid team to the 7th floor.
The pursuit was easy.
After all, no player could escape the Net of Heaven and Earth cast by the elites of the Zhonghua Guild.
When he finally cornered the detestable bastard right in front of him, his heart pounded with excitement.
How brutally would he have to kill him to satisfy his wrath?
And how sweet would a cup of tea taste while watching his opponent scream in agony?
He was practically driven mad with anticipation.
A moment later, when he spotted Kang Jinhyuk on the plains, he cheered inwardly.
Everything was perfect.
Up to that point, everything was great.
Except for one thing.
Until a massive force, spearheaded by Dire Wolves, emerged from the forest behind them.
"M-Master Namgung Cheon!"
"It's the enemy! There are about seven hundred of them! They're all elites of at least B-rank!"
"There are Dire Wolves... and ranker-class players with exceptionally strong mana mixed in!"
Urgent reports poured in.
"How on earth did this happen?! When did they gather such a force...?!"
Namgung Cheon gasped in shock.
He knew for a fact that Jinhyuk was unaffiliated and mostly operated solo.
Namgung Cheon was aware of Yu Cheon-yeong and a few other connections, but none of them had dispatched a large-scale force.
That much had already been verified by the Zhonghua Guild's intelligence department.
Then who on earth were these people?
"Kang... Jinhyuk!"
Namgung Cheon ground his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.
* * *
'Damn. This really is a spectacular sight.'
Caught between the two forces, Jinhyuk nodded in satisfaction.
Having the traps he prepared with the Dangun Guild discovered was outside his plan, but this was his real trump card anyway.
Having Cheon Yu-seong, whom he had secretly smuggled out of the tower, lure all the rankers of the Zhonghua Guild here.
He was confident that if things went according to plan, they could create a situation where they could easily go toe-to-toe with even the alliance of the Demonic Human Association and the vampires.
And his prediction was spot on.
"When I think about how much I suffered all day because of you..."
Cheon Yu-seong's voice trailed off, sounding as if he were swallowing molten iron.
"Do you have any idea how... when I read those lines... just how! How! Arghhh!"
He must have been incredibly embarrassed, seeing how he couldn't even bring himself to finish the sentence.
"There, there. Good job, our Sword Saint. Who's a good boy?"
If only he had a dog chew or a Churu cat treat to give him. Unfortunately, no convenience stores were in sight.
And buying one from the Coin Shop felt like a waste of coins.
"B-by the way, Hyung. Are you sure this plan is really going to be okay?"
Lee Tae-min swallowed hard.
When he first heard of this plan, he thought it was nothing short of suicide.
But now that the moment had actually arrived, he felt like he was about to lose his mind.
"It's fine. Just trust me."
This will definitely work.
Because...
...this was a method he had used against the deities back when he was climbing the Tower of Trials in the past.
Ahem! Cough!
Jinhyuk cleared his throat.
"Why did you stop halfway? Don't tell me you're scared? Well, I suppose our side does look a bit intimidating. We prepared quite a lot to give you guys a proper welcome."
Jinhyuk shouted at the top of his lungs.
Confidence was key here.
Both Namgung Cheon and Hosenbelt would have limited information.
'In other words, I'm the only one who can control and shake up this battlefield.'
Jinhyuk even stabbed his dagger into the snow before taking a step forward.
Slowly. Yet with complete composure.
Scanning both camps, he gestured for them to come at him.
Come on, bring it.
The prey you want so badly is right here, just one step away.
'Come on, if you've got the guts.'
If you can, that is.
'Dammit. I can't fall for it. How many times have we been screwed over by falling into his pace?'
'The enemy is by no means easy. Looking at the size and quality of that force... if we make a reckless move first, we might be the ones who get wiped out.'
The more relaxed Jinhyuk acted, the more both forces shrank back in a bizarre display of hesitation.
The weakest player was completely dominating the board.
"Tsk. How boring. What was the point of gathering all these forces if you're going to be this cautious?"
Jinhyuk wore an expression of utter boredom.
He retrieved his dagger and patted his companions on the shoulders.
"It looks like you guys need some more time to warm up before a real fight, so we'll take our leave first. I can leave the rest to you, right? You guys can easily handle that much on your own, can't you?"
Jinhyuk gestured vaguely with his chin.
In a way, it seemed directed at Namgung Cheon.
In another, it seemed directed at Hosenbelt.
This was enough.
He leisurely walked away, followed by Cheon Yu-seong, Lee Tae-min, and Yu Yeon-hwa.
"Ugh!"
"T-that bastard..."
They had to give chase. If they didn't pursue them right now, they would soon lose sight of them.
But if they turned their backs, they would expose their rear to the other side.
In a war, not just a simple battle, having your rear exposed meant total annihilation.
Both Namgung Cheon and Hosenbelt were far too cold-headed to make such a foolish mistake.
Since it had come to this, they might as well...
"We will wipe them out as quickly as possible."
"We'll slaughter them all, then deal with Kang Jinhyuk."
The two made their decisions.
Their forces quickly took their positions.
Since time was of the essence, both sides formed positions to maximize their offensive power.
A swift battle to a quick end. There would be no surrender. Only the single-minded determination to annihilate the enemy began to fill the battlefield.
And the moment their formations were perfectly set.
"Charge!"
"Wipe them out!"
The commanders of both sides drew their favorite weapons.
Namgung Cheon's 'Sword Qi' and Hosenbelt's 'Knight's Oath' radiated different lights.
And just like that, the snow-covered plains began to be dyed crimson.
* * *
After escaping the battlefield, Jinhyuk immediately headed toward the 'Never-Melting Valley' located on the outskirts of the forest.
The entire valley was frozen solid, and it featured a massive cave beneath the waterfall that was incredibly spacious.
Thus, Jinhyuk had chosen this place as the temporary shelter for the Frostblade Tribe.
"Are we there?"
"Yeah. Wait here for a second."
Arriving near the waterfall, Jinhyuk spoke cautiously.
"Teemo... Ahem. Was that too quiet? Teemo!"
It was the password.
"O-Oppa..."
"Hyung. That's a bit..."
"Dammit. Of all things, why did you have to choose that? You used to hate being called that so much."
Instantly, the faces of his companions soured.
Literally, their expressions turned dark and gloomy.
Cheon Yu-seong was even frowning with a look of utter disgust, as if he were looking at a bug.
Dammit. Do you have any idea how effective this is for friend-or-foe identification?
Why is everyone looking at me like that?
Even though he hated Teemo, there was no word that stuck in the mind as clearly as this one.
On the battlefield, efficiency was far more important than pride. Yes, indeed.
Right then, a familiar troll appeared from beyond the frozen waterfall.
"Colonel."
As expected of a real man, Caracal played along.
"I'm glad you found your way without getting lost. I was worried you might get lost and wander around with the entire tribe."
"It was a bit complicated, but by following the human's directions, we managed to find it somehow."
"That's a relief."
"By the way, how did you know about this place? We have been on this floor for a long time, but we never knew such a place existed."
Of course you didn't.
This frozen waterfall was incredibly well-hidden, after all.
'If I hadn't been crazy about ice-fishing back then, I wouldn't have found it either.'
Swimming in the water wearing nothing but underwear in minus 60-degree weather...
No matter how young and full of vigor he had been, it was sheer madness.
Still, thanks to that experience, he was able to find such a useful hideout, so it wasn't all bad.
'Besides, the ice-fish tasted amazing.'
Well, yeah. All those hardships were just fond memories now.
"Cut the idle chatter. What are you going to do now? The most important guy is still left, isn't he?"
Cheon Yu-seong, who had been quiet, suddenly cut to the chase.
The high-ranking vampire from the Decasus Family.
That guy was still hiding and hadn't shown his face anywhere.
And there was one more problem.
Since the detachment consisting of Bertion and the demonic humans was said to have dealt with the Dangun Guild, they could stab us in the back at any moment.
"You guys handle the small fry."
"What do you plan to do?"
"I'm going to catch the big fish."
It was harsh, but anyone else coming along would only get in his way.
Cheon Yu-seong seemed to know this as well, as he didn't insist on following.
"I take it you know where he's heading."
"Yeah. I have a pretty good idea."
After setting up a board like this and sacrificing his subordinates to this extent...
...there was only one place he would go.
And Jinhyuk knew the answer.