Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Elf Countermeasures
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Elves.
Creatures you'd only see in works of fiction were now visible for real after the advent of the Dimension Arena.
Of course, not in reality, but in the Dimension Arena.
And only in a select few map themes at that. Still, the fact that you could see them remained unchanged.
People who spotted elves for the first time cheered in excitement.
Elves boasted the same stunning beauty as in fictional works.
Male elves were more beautiful than most female celebrities, and female elves went without saying.
But that excitement didn't last long.
There was no disagreement that elves were a superior race—powerful enough that comparing them to orcs felt insulting.
So it was only natural that players in the Dimension Arena dreaded encountering elves.
Because whenever you met elves, they were always enemies.
That's why viewers took it as a given that Shin-hyeok, who had entered the hidden stage, would fail.
An open wasteland.
Dozens of elves spawning every hour.
Facing them solo made it no different from a predetermined loss.
But it didn't take long for the viewers' minds to change.
Heaven-Destroying Annihilation Style - Heaven-Destroying Peng Bird Fist
Kwaaaaaang!
First, death spirits materialized around Shin-hyeok.
Second, the War God's technique once again engulfed the elves.
The Heaven-Destroying Peng Bird Fist swept through dozens of elves, obliterating those in front.
The surviving elves were battered, and Shin-hyeok charged at them without hesitation.
Pipipipipipipiping!
True to their superior race status, the elves unleashed a volley of arrows at Shin-hyeok despite being ravaged by the Heaven-Destroying Peng Bird Fist.
Elf archery was an art form in itself, so even this scattered barrage precisely targeted Shin-hyeok.
Even if not, the arrows blanketed every possible dodge spot, prompting Shin-hyeok to click his tongue lightly.
"Very elven of them."
Having fought countless elves before regression to reach Challenger, he knew exactly how formidable and lethal their archery was. He promptly sent his undead forward.
Pubbubbubbubbubbuk!
True to their nature—immune to fatigue and pain—the undead took the arrow storm without a groan.
However, the arrows embedding into them slowed their staggering advance.
Though the undead meant to fight alongside him were now sidelined, Shin-hyeok pressed on undeterred.
"Do you all know how to deal with elves?"
He even took a moment to explain elf countermeasures to the viewers amid the chaos.
Explaining in a battle where you couldn't see an inch ahead? Viewers were dumbfounded, but Shin-hyeok continued unfazed.
"Elves fight with archery, spirit summoning, and swordsmanship—the big three. The core ones are archery and spirit summoning. Blocking archery is simple: use summons like undead as arrow sponges, like just now—or Shield. Choi Shin-hyeok Style Chapter 8 - Weapon Shield."
Pubbubbubbubbuk!
"As I just showed, deflect with shield magic or weapon arts. See? Pretty easy, right?"
Using summoning, magic, and weapon arts just to block archery was beyond most players' reach.
But Shin-hyeok's advice was spot on.
Painless summons made perfect meat shields, and shields/weapon arts handled it flawlessly.
The issue was merely that others couldn't replicate it.
As viewers grumbled, the elves' arrow barrage halted.
Arrows were consumables, after all—not infinite.
That's when the real assault began.
Kwagwagwagwang!
"Now for their second core: spirit summoning."
Shin-hyeok dodged the incoming spirits with light footwork, responding calmly. The chat buzzed again, but he pressed on.
"Spirit summoning is powerful—the main reason elves are deemed superior. Unlike regular magic, spirit magic has short casts and no delay. But do you know its big weakness?"
Even amid the spirit magic onslaught, Shin-hyeok winked at the camera, earning the "rice uncle" moniker from viewers.
When the chat didn't yield the answer he wanted, he revealed it with a hint of regret.
"The answer lies in the spirits themselves. They're basically summons. Banish them, and the spirit user is just a regular person."
But the answer didn't quite resonate.
A disarmed swordsman was just a martial artist.
The problem was disarming them mid-swing.
And Shin-hyeok pulled out another ingenious method.
"Banish spirits by striking them directly. Simple."
Spirits were nearly immune to physical attacks.
Magic worked somewhat, but direct hits were nearly impossible.
Yet absolutes don't exist.
Ze iiiiiing—
Sword aura bloomed over Shin-hyeok's Bang Se-jin's Well-Crafted Holy Sword, dyeing the chat in shock.
Sword aura.
Achievable only by a tiny fraction with exceptional mana control.
It severed what couldn't be taught or lacked physical form.
'Can't use sword beam yet, but this'll do for now.'
Pre-regression Shin-hyeok wielded even sword beams freely, so mere aura didn't faze him.
The reason was straightforward.
Sword aura cut non-physical entities—like spirits.
Sgagagagak!
-Kkeaek!
-Kyaaak!
-Kuhk!
The sword's overwhelming power plus aura devastated the spirits, banishing them.
With surrounding spirits gone in an instant, Shin-hyeok saw the elves' faces twist in agony.
Forced banishment shocked summoners—not just spirit users.
The elves staggered from the backlash, and their heads flew.
Tudududuk—
Severed heads rolled across the ground.
Panicked, the elves drew swords of decent quality—better than most players' gear.
But Shin-hyeok swung without hesitation.
Sgagagagak!
Block with sword? It shattered. Arm? Gone. Neither? Chest split, head severed.
Like a wolf among sheep, he butchered dozens in seconds, then glanced at the screen as if he'd forgotten.
"Oh, forgot to mention. To counter swordsmanship, do exactly as shown."
Seeing Shin-hyeok smile in satisfaction after his belated swordsmanship tip, viewers could only chuckle wryly.
But he had pulled it off, leaving them speechless.
Unable to nitpick the lecture, viewers shifted topics.
To the hidden stage conquest still ahead.
Shin-hyeok had only cleared one wave so far.
With waves lasting an hour, four more loomed.
Difficulty ramped up, and overexerting now would spell trouble later.
But rendering worries moot, he provided the solution.
"Banish spirits leave massive mana residue. I've banished dozens—that's equivalent to dozens of average Silver-tier players' mana saturating the area."
As viewers caught on amid the mana talk, spamming exclamation marks—
Predation
Kwadududuk!
—Shin-hyeok activated Predation, devouring the invisible ambient mana to prove them right.
His depleted mana refilled instantly, and he moved to the next step.
"Rise."
Drdrdrdrduk!
The elves he'd slain rose, filling the undead ranks.
"Predation. Rise. Predation. Rise."
After repetitions,
the gate area brimmed with his undead.
Mana for summoning and maintenance covered by Predation, Shin-hyeok's eyes gleamed.
"Hidden stage conquest stream starts now."
The true hidden stage conquest began.
The future an hour hence felt crystal clear—not just imagination.