The Day of the Decisive Battle
Hwarang, the Phoenix, and Mir.
The three guilds had prepared meticulously for their showdown against the Yeokcheon Guild.
“We cannot operate separately.”
“Only by linking up as one can the three guilds secure perfect victory.”
Different chains of command. Coordination between every position. Countless details needed to be synchronized.
The twenty days Yu Jinho had proposed had been used to the fullest.
First, analysts from Hwarang and Phoenix compiled exhaustive metrics on the combat strength of every Silver-rank player in their guilds. Strategy came before power. To maximize their forces, they needed a flawless plan.
“Bring the footage from the previous Silver promotion matches too.”
“We must uncover every weakness Yu Jinho possesses.”
“Gather data on guild members like Lee Jiyoung, Ping Lei, and Carla as well!”
They left no stone unturned in analyzing the Yeokcheon Guild—how the three guilds could best utilize their combined strength, and the precise countermeasures required for each individual Yeokcheon member.
Once their anti-Yeokcheon strategy was complete, they launched straight into joint training. The three guilds established a dedicated training camp and provided full room and board.
“You there! You were a full second late!”
“Don’t forget we’re one team now.”
Reprimands flew from every direction. Players accustomed to their own guild’s methods struggled at first, but they gradually adapted to one another.
“You rookies. You think swinging your weapons like that will actually wound the enemy?”
“Breathing. If you exhale at that moment, all your power dissipates.”
“The mana rearrangement process is inefficient. Move like this instead…”
And that was only the beginning.
Three rankers from the participating guilds served as instructors, personally pointing out every shortcoming during training.
“Wow, personal guidance from a ranker!”
“Thank you. My eyes have truly been opened!”
“An opportunity like this comes once in a lifetime.”
The players from the three guilds were deeply moved. While establishing a new command structure and training regimen could easily have produced friction, they threw themselves into the rare opportunity with genuine excitement and full commitment.
The result spoke for itself.
“First unit, formation A!”
The players from the three guilds moved with flawless precision.
“Third unit, formation E!”
“Second unit, formation C!”
The five divided groups operated as a single organism, flowing together organically. They advanced swiftly without ever disrupting one another’s formations. Their coordination was perfect—the product of twenty days of relentless training.
Clap, clap, clap—!
The masters who had founded Hwarang, Phoenix, and Mir applauded.
“Outstanding.”
“At this level, there will be no variables.”
“No matter how exceptional Yu Jinho may be, he cannot overcome those numbers.”
Just as one hand cannot block ten, the difference in numbers was absolute.
Oh Jangwoo, master of the Hwarang Guild, lightly rested his chin atop his interlaced fingers.
“Yu Jinho has always shattered enemy formations whenever he faced superior numbers.”
The analysts had collected every broadcast recording of his Silver promotion matches and interviewed every player who had ever faced him, thoroughly dissecting his combat style. The Guryong-bang—still smarting from their humiliating defeat in the Bronze promotion match—had handed over all their data in accordance with their secret agreement.
‘This time, things will not go your way.’
Their countermeasures against Jinho were perfect.
And that was not all.
“Haha! We’ve finished analyzing every other guild member too. What is there left to fear?”
The master of the Phoenix Guild laughed heartily. The Guryong-bang had surrendered Ping Lei’s entire training data. They had also analyzed every ounce of power Lee Jiyoung and Carla had displayed during their tower climbs.
“Recruiting Kim Youngsoo, that famous Bronze player, was unexpected.”
“I heard they recently picked up another youngster?”
“The one who controlled the war golem. A Mechanic ability user, right?”
“Even so, isn’t that a minor, non-mainstream unique ability?”
“Gahaha!”
As the laughter faded, the corners of the Mir Guild master’s mouth slowly curved upward.
“What if Shin Junseok or Hong Yunsu intervenes?”
“You mean Orpheus’s Music Box?”
500,000 CP
An item that allows retrying lower-grade missions.
Oh Jangwoo waved his hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry. Orpheus’s Music Box only permits access up to around the twentieth floor.”
For Diamond-rank players, it could reach at most the Gold rank. Since the stage for this confrontation was the thirty-fifth floor—a Silver-rank floor—even with the item, those two rankers could not intervene.
“And even if they did intervene, their stats would be adjusted. What is there to worry about?”
They possessed the power to crush even minor variables. Oh Jangwoo was certain of victory.
‘We gain investment funds and eliminate a competitor. It could not be better.’
The secret pact with the Guryong-bang offered the Hwarang Guild nothing but gains. Using Yu Jinho as an excuse, they had isolated the Baekho Guild while forging even stronger ties with two of the nation’s top ten guilds.
‘If we win this match, Hwarang’s position will become unshakable.’
Oh Jangwoo swallowed his smile, already envisioning a radiant future.
* * *
Vrrr— Vrrr—.
His eyes snapped open at the alarm.
The moment he sat up in bed, he glanced at the date.
“It’s already today.”
—The sun that signals the decisive battle has risen.
Nyx, in spiritual form, floated above my head.
“Calling it a ‘decisive battle’ feels a bit too solemn, doesn’t it?”
—Hehe, how confident you are. However, arrogance is not a virtue.
“My confidence is based on you, Goddess.”
—What do you mean by that?
“You are the symbol of my victory, after all.”
Nyx was rendered speechless. A moment later her face flushed crimson and she began furiously pounding on my head.
—You truly have no shortage of shameless things to say!
“Um, if you keep that up my hair is going to fall out.”
—Hehehe, to think you viewed me that way. How admirable.
No, I’m seriously going to go bald at this rate!
Leaving the morning commotion behind, I gathered the guild members.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
The guild members had assembled fully armed. Strong confidence and trust shone in their eyes.
The dream team I had built after my regression. We still had a long road ahead, but simply having them all in one place filled me with reassurance.
“Let’s go.”
“Junior, I wish you good fortune.”
“I’ll look after the guild house, Senior.”
I activated the Babel Tower app. The appointed time for the match against the three guilds was nine in the morning. It felt exactly like taking a promotion test.
Vrrr—!
The Korean team (3) has designated you as their opponent on the 35th floor of the Babel Tower.
This mission allows guild-based participation.
Six guild members are eligible to participate in this mission.
The Kosku Mountain Range has long been a place of conflict between tribes that worship the sun and the moon.
Each faction must offer tributes to the Sun or Moon god to awaken their divine power.
▶ Objective: Awaken the Sun/Moon God.
▶ List of Offerings
- Fruit of the Sun/Moon
- Heart of the Urkan
- Player from the opposing side
▶ Special Notes
Upon death, you will revive at your main base after 60 minutes.
Players offered as tributes are automatically eliminated from the mission.
The mission area was a steep mountain range. The party had been summoned near the summit of a high peak shrouded in clouds. A massive crescent moon statue hung at the summit.
“Looks like we’re on the Moon faction’s side.”
On the opposite side stood another high mountain, crowned with a prominent sun statue. The distance between the two peaks was roughly nine kilometers. Without flight skills, attacking the enemy main base would be impossible.
You belong to the tribe that serves the Moon Goddess Mama Kija.
To satisfy Mama Kija, you must offer many tributes.
Offer sufficient tributes before the Sun tribe does. Otherwise, the Sun God Inti will awaken and burn you all.
Quite the ominous warning.
“Um, Master?”
“What is it, Jiyoung?”
“What does it mean to offer the opposing team as tribute?”
“Exactly what it says. It means capturing prisoners and sacrificing them on that altar.”
The Sun God Inti and the Moon Goddess Mama Kija were constellations worshipped by the Inca Empire. While not as extreme as Quetzalcoatl, these deities had also favored human sacrifice.
“In this mission, the most effective tribute is an opposing player.”
Lee Jiyoung’s face turned deathly pale. All of this information was publicly available online—if only she had done her homework.
Ping Lei snorted.
“If you’re scared, just hide behind my back.”
“W-w-who said I was scared?”
The two immediately began bickering.
“Remember this well. Being captured is worse than dying.”
If you received a death judgment, you would revive at the main base after sixty minutes. But if you were captured, you would not only provide the enemy with a tribute but also be eliminated from the mission entirely.
“Losing progress on the mission is bad enough, but it also reduces our combat strength,” Kim Youngsoo muttered with a groan.
“Some of you may already know this, but there are two primary fronts.”
The first was the valley formed where two mountain ridges met. Below it lived the Urkan herd mentioned in the mission.
The second was the ‘Tree of Heaven and Earth’ beside the valley.
“If you occupy it for three hours, fruits suited to each tribe will grow.”
“I heard the fruits grant higher points.”
“Correct. Battles usually break out over ownership of that tree.”
The hill where the tree stood was the only flat ground in the rugged mountains—the perfect location for both sides to engage in open battle. The valley, by contrast, favored the numerically inferior side with its complex terrain.
“How should we move?”
At Kim Youngsoo’s question, every guild member’s gaze turned toward me.
I answered without the slightest hesitation.
“The tree, of course.”
I had intended an all-out frontal battle from the very beginning.
The three guilds had joined forces? All the better.
This would be the perfect opportunity to test my guild members’ teamwork. Every single one of them was a talented individual I had personally scouted and recruited. The enemy consisted of nothing more than players chosen by three of Korea’s top guilds.
Meanwhile, my guild members possessed talent that ranked among the best in the world.
My name was already famous enough. Wasn’t it about time the world learned the names of my guild members as well?
“Let’s move.”
The party descended the mountain ridge toward the area where the Tree of Heaven and Earth stood.