"Just Chop Off the Arms and Legs?"
“Just need to chop off the arms and legs?”
“We're both busy, so I'll make this quick.”
The two from Nessto Guild approached, twirling their daggers.
And the moment their eyes met—
Thud! They kicked off, scattering to both sides.
Whoosh! Sleek movements charging in, vanishing from sight. They'd clearly trained together—their coordination was ruler-straight.
Swish. But Hanbit had already extended his hand toward the ground ahead of them. Timing it perfectly, he uttered the incantation.
“Fire Burst.”
Boom! The explosion kicked up a wide cloud of dirt and smoke. Silence blanketed the obscured space.
Crackle! The intensifying heat from the flames affected the surroundings too. It was strong enough that the enemies had no choice but to reveal themselves.
But that was exactly Hanbit's intent.
Whoosh! A faint rustle of wind heralded the incoming rush. Hanbit pulled back, gauging the distance.
Whoof! A razor-sharp gust whistled past his nose. In the same instant, Hanbit swung his sword.
Fwoosh! A cyan blade tracing its arc amid roaring flames. At the end of the sensation slicing through smoke was something soft yet heavy.
Hanbit poured in one more burst of power to finish the motion.
Slash! A sound of something being severed, flames blazing.
Realizing the anomaly, footsteps from the other foe approached.
Thump! Not a straight charge—a high leap.
Hanbit sensed the direction again and swung once more.
Clang! The enemy's dagger carried a curse. But it was powerless against Hanbit.
Crackle! Even if it wasn't the full blaze of Salion, a spirit king was still a spirit king. It could burn away curses of that level with ease.
Crack! “What the...!”
The transferred flames shattered the enemy's dagger.
Grab! Hanbit immediately reached out, seizing the invisible foe's face. He thrust his sword with brutal force.
Stab! The blade, aimed between jaw and throat, pierced through with a sickening feel before stopping.
Hanbit withdrew his sword and stepped out of the fog.
That instant—
Whoof! Arcade dropped from above.
***
“Got it!”
In a cave on the snowy mountain's slope, Riwei—who'd been sprinting across the map—spotted the snow flower deer. His luck was unreal, even to him.
Swish. Unique, pristine white leather on the ground. Exactly what Black Dragon wanted—the bet-deciding item.
“Did I win?”
He'd gathered the materials faster than expected. Black Dragon's knowledge plus his own specs. A fair contest leveraging each other's strengths.
Buzzing with excitement, Riwei pulled up Black Dragon's stream he'd minimized.
But...
[Fun delusion, but they're all hired with my money.]
For some reason, weird figures dotted the broadcast. Red lines next to overhead nicknames.
Checking the chat alongside, Riwei pieced it together.
Nessto Guild—the ones who'd ambushed Black Dragon before—were at it again.
And it had been going on for a while.
“These fucking trash...”
Riwei gripped his spear hard. No interference allowed in this sacred, fair duel. Black Dragon was taking it seriously too—a soul-level exchange of mutual respect.
Yet these murder-lusting bugs were ruining it.
Grind! Chewing his molars, Riwei kicked off.
Kill every last interferer. Not bravado—the vanguard's decision.
Thud-thud! Crossing the forest at insane speed, he kept tabs on the stream. Black Dragon was holding strong.
“As expected, he wouldn't go down easy.”
Obscuring vision to control foes, executing it flawlessly. No way this was mid-50s level.
He wasn't ordinary, after all.
[Boom!]
Then, something lunged at Black Dragon emerging from the smoke. The name from chat floated in the nametag.
“Arcade... level 160, huh.”
Black Dragon was impressive, but a 100+ level gap was a hard physical limit. And he'd been fighting nonstop, so stamina had to be low. Potions couldn't restore mental fatigue.
[...Hoo.]
Thankfully alive, Hanbit was creating distance from Arcade. But his right shoulder was damaged.
“That weapon...”
Arcade wielded a curved sword. Toy-like at a glance, but its components were no joke.
[How many hits till it bends? 30? 40? Nah, around 100?]
Trigger, watching from afar, grinned as he approached. Pure delight on his face.
[Rich kids all missing a screw or two.]
Arcade shook his head, regripping his sword. He charged again.
[Clang!]
The bent blade hammered down. Black Dragon, left-handed now, parried with minimal motion.
No time even for potions—a desperate bid to avoid vitals.
[Whoosh! Clang!]
Under Arcade's barrage, Black Dragon was slowly pushed back. Parrying in that state defied logic.
[Why isn't he doing shit! Even Black Dragon can't handle Arcade?]
Trigger's shrill yell from behind grated. He'd ruined the duel, now sabotaging the fight too.
Deserved to die.
[Clang!]
Retreating Black Dragon neared the cliff. As Arcade swung once more—
“Stop!”
A voice rang from Riwei's front. At the forest's shadowed edge stood three players.
“You with Nessto Guild too?”
“Yeah. Step inside, you're hostile to us. You know what happens, right?”
A Nessto member smirked threateningly. Why corps avoided PK guilds: Once targeted by those with nothing to lose, it got messy.
But the man before them was Riwei.
“So back off if you don't want trouble?”
“You get it? If we clash, it'll screw your vanguard comp—”
Slash! The speaker's head vanished. Riwei's blue spear thrust through.
“You crazy fuck...!”
“You just fucked with Nessto!”
His buddies gawked. Riwei nodded calmly.
“Got beef? Come at me. I'll handle all of you.”
Stab! His spear pierced heads and chests with his words. Riwei kicked off again.
Whoosh! Not far now. He'd pinpointed Black Dragon's spot.
But time was tight.
Thud! Riwei leaped atop a tall tree.
“Found you.”
Beyond the slope: Black Dragon struggling cliffside.
Swish. Atop the tree, Riwei gripped his spear. Target: Arcade pressing Black Dragon.
Vaporize the bastard whole.
[Hold up.]
Then Trigger appeared with a grating voice. All three froze.
Standoff talk-time. The opening.
Crackle! Blue sparks flew from his gripped spear. They coalesced into radiant light.
Whoosh! The spear flew, cleaving air.
***
Clang! Clang! The relentless assault showed no sign of stopping.
Pouring all focus into predicting attacks, Hanbit's body was hitting its limit.
‘Use the cliff? No, the crevice has better odds.’
Cornered, his mind spun faster. honed from countless brushes with death.
But death loomed.
Clang! Pushed back, Hanbit realized he'd reached the cliff. No room to roll aside—a perfect dead end.
One step. One swing from Arcade, and he'd plummet. Survival chance? Near zero.
“Hold up! Don't kill him!”
Then Trigger approached from behind, grinning beside Arcade.
“Now you die by me. How's it feel?”
“Quick respawn's nice. But you can't kill me. Even if I lose more limbs, I'd still win.”
Crackle! Salion's flames roared with his last strength. Weaker now, but enough to take Trigger.
“Hah.”
Trigger's lip twisted at the blatant taunt. He brandished his sword.
“Can't see your spot? One thrust and you're done.”
“That's just falling. What you do when you got no skill.”
“...”
The truth hit; Trigger's face hardened. He glanced at Arcade.
“Can keep him alive sans limbs?”
“Extra pay, sure.”
“Double it. Cook him proper.”
“Big spender, huh.”
Arcade nodded, switching grips, aiming at Black Dragon's legs.
“Legs first. Don't die now, stay still...”
Kaboom! A blue shockwave flooded Hanbit's vision. Eyes wide, he froze.
In under a second: The snow pile vanished. And—
“What the...”
Arcade and Trigger were gone. Utterly erased.
“Not too late.”
A distant voice. Turning, a hooded man emerged from the woods.
“...Riwei?”
-Whoa;
-Riwei bailed him out??
-Insane drip;
-That skill's firepower is busted lol
-Vanguard descends.
-Different vibe tho;
Riwei's aid—totally unforeseen. Hanbit, genuinely stunned, watched him saunter over.
“Trash ruined the duel. Wanna hunt their respawns and kill 'em again.”
Genuine fury laced Riwei's scowl. Feuding with Nessto? Didn't faze him.
Swish. Riwei pulled pristine white leather from inventory. The bet's prize: snow flower deer material.
‘How fast did he get this?’
Even with Hanbit's knowledge, finding deer took time. Only one factor skipped it: Overwhelming luck.
-?
-Already got it??
-Wtf.
-He wins.
-Nessto fucks;
As viewers freaked, Hanbit pondered. Snow flower deer respawn? Long wait. Buy Riwei's? Auction had none—pricey.
That's what he thought.
Step. Riwei stepped closer, offering the leather.
“Take it. Bet's void.”