Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Gather and Scatter Game (1)
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Dokgo Hyun and Lee Hyun-jun took up combat stances at a suitable distance.
However, it was a bit different from a typical fighting stance because a balloon and string were attached to the back of their left hands.
'Lee Hyun-jun is stronger than me. At least in a head-on fight. But if I burst his balloon, I win.'
Dokgo Hyun steeled himself.
The other players, instead of spectating, scattered as far away as possible and started a muddy brawl, aiming for each other's balloons.
"Come at me first."
"Are you yielding the first strike?"
"We already swore an [Oath], so first strikes are off-limits anyway. Plus two more. I won't use the 90,000 coins I just earned. And no [Airflow Control] skill—I'll only use artifacts to face you."
'He's completely looking down on me.'
Dokgo Hyun didn't think the gap was that wide.
'I'll end this in one minute thirty seconds!'
Flash!
Dokgo Hyun activated [Instant Acceleration] and charged straight ahead.
Whoosh!
Lee Hyun-jun swung the tip of his artifact sword to check him.
In that instant, Dokgo Hyun split in half.
Thud!
Of course, it wasn't real—he had used [Afterimage Creation] to split his real body and fake, rushing left and right.
But.
"I see it all."
Stab!
The sword tip pierced the real Dokgo Hyun's torso.
"Kuhk!"
"Did you forget about the [Mana Circulation Method]?"
A fierce glint filled Lee Hyun-jun's eyes.
'I see. Concentrating mana in his eyes lets him see through most afterimages.'
Of course, it wasn't easy.
Only someone like Lee Hyun-jun, who had survived the Hell difficulty tutorial as the sole survivor, could pull it off in real combat with his talent and experience.
But Dokgo Hyun's grit and quick thinking were unmatched by anyone.
With the sword still lodged in his torso, he charged forward.
"What?!"
"Grahhh!!"
He shoved the blade deeper into himself to close the distance, then swung his knife.
Slash!
The knife targeted the balloon on Lee Hyun-jun's left hand.
But.
Whoosh!
Smack!
Lee Hyun-jun whipped his hand like a lash, striking Dokgo Hyun's cheek instead.
It dealt almost no damage, but Dokgo Hyun's head shook, and his attack missed.
Of course, a miss wouldn't stop Dokgo Hyun.
[Venom Mode]
Artifact mode activated
He activated [Venom Mode], pulled back the missed Venom Knife, and swung it at Lee Hyun-jun's throat.
Slash!!
It grazed his neck.
"Kuh!"
Lee Hyun-jun, surprised this time, yanked out his sword and retreated.
But [Venom Mode]'s potent acid and fierce poison burrowed deep into his veins even from a graze.
'I landed a fatal poison hit. Classic trade flesh for bone.'
But Lee Hyun-jun didn't give up.
Splash! Splash!
He slashed open the area around the wound with his sword tip, then activated [Airflow Control].
Spluuurt...!
He sucked out the poisoned blood before it could spread.
He lost a lot of normal blood too, bringing on anemia, but he quickly pulled out a healing potion with his other hand and chugged it.
"Huff, huff. Poison out of nowhere. Nearly died."
His face was pale.
"Kuh, sneaky bastard. You said no skills."
Dokgo Hyun, hole in his gut, cursed at Lee Hyun-jun.
Lee Hyun-jun gave a strained smile.
"Right. No skills. But that wasn't part of the [Oath]."
"......"
"And."
Lee Hyun-jun openly opened his status window and dumped points into all his stats.
Flash!
"Just now, I added 250 points to each stat with 90,000 coins."
"Whoa, now you're straight-up breaking promises...!"
"Again, promises without an [Oath] are fair game. Consider it your final lesson before death."
"Kuhk, cough!!"
Dokgo Hyun spat blood.
With a hole in his abdomen, he couldn't hold out.
Lee Hyun-jun looked down arrogantly at him.
Instead of the finishing blow, he glanced around and spoke.
"As a parting gift for this fool on his way to the afterlife—and a warning to anyone hesitating to challenge me—let me share something good."
Swoosh.
He held up his artifact high.
"This is an A-grade artifact called 'Solid Cutter'."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Slice!!
He cut the gym floor like tofu.
"N-No way."
"So clean..."
"Not just power—the artifact's ability...!"
"Exactly."
Lee Hyun-jun said.
"Solid Cutter slices through any solid effortlessly. As you see, it pierces and severs players just as easily."
He pointed his sword tip at Dokgo Hyun.
Dokgo Hyun lay clutching the hole in his stomach, unable to move.
"As you can see, I wield A-grade skill [Airflow Control], A-grade artifact Solid Cutter, and I've never lost since awakening. Plus, I just boosted my stats with 90,000 coins. In short, you lot can never beat me."
"Agreed......"
"Hm?"
The fallen Dokgo Hyun grinned.
"Never...... You'll never win. The gap's insurmountable...... I knew from the start......"
"You knew, huh. Ah, so that's why you foolishly challenged me? Before I could widen the gap with coins."
Lee Hyun-jun pieced it together and nodded slowly.
"Reckless, but optimal for a weakling like you. My regrets and respects."
"Pointless......"
"Why?"
"I'm dying anyway."
"Still, unlike those cowardly weaklings, you'll linger in my memory."
"Impossible......"
"Why?"
"Time's about to rewind."
Stab!!
Lying down, Dokgo Hyun activated [Venom Mode] on his knife and stabbed his own throat.
Lee Hyun-jun's eyes widened.
"What?! Suicide skill?!"
He warily leaped back far.
Lee Hyun-jun's caution and reflexes were top-notch, but he never imagined Dokgo Hyun would do something beyond suicide.
'Suicide? Heh. From a certain view, world-ending explosion.'
Dokgo Hyun chuckled inwardly.
He planned to destroy this world with his death and summon the one from three minutes ago.
"[3-Minute Regression]."
Dokgo Hyun died and regressed three minutes back.
Dokgo Hyun dismissed the system message and looked around.
"So, shall I give you all a choice?"
It was right at the moment the TV guy pretentiously offered options.
'Phew, barely made it in time.'
Dokgo Hyun thought as he prepared.
The other players buzzed over options A, B, and C.
Right then.
"The first to jump at least 1 meter in place gets choice priority!!"
'Now!!'
Boom!!
Thud...!!
Only Dokgo Hyun and Lee Hyun-jun jumped.
Same as before regression.
But one thing was different.
'I was faster!'
Dokgo Hyun was just slightly quicker.
'That was close though...!'
Knowing the future, he'd timed [Instant Acceleration] to the end of the TV guy's words.
With [Hyper Mode] active, he pre-charged the enhanced skill and exploded upward at the perfect moment.
Even so, Lee Hyun-jun jumped almost simultaneously.
'Jumping neck-and-neck with me who knew ahead. Monster's a monster.'
"Hm."
Lee Hyun-jun, leaping high, glanced at Dokgo Hyun with regret before landing.
"Ohoho! Two jumped at once. But Dokgo Hyun Player was a tad faster!"
The TV guy acknowledged Dokgo Hyun's victory.
"Thus, choice goes to Dokgo Hyun Player! Choose!"
"Hm. Let me think."
Dokgo Hyun ruled out A immediately.
It was Hard difficulty, and he'd already experienced the massacre by Lee Hyun-jun pre-regression.
'B or C then.'
The issue: 'C. Trial of Obedience' looked risky too.
Dokgo Hyun decided.
"I'll take B."
Dokgo Hyun, and the other players, sighed in relief.
"Phew, dodged Hard difficulty."
"Phew, thanks to that kid."
"Kid! Thanks!"
Of course, Lee Hyun-jun wasn't thankful.
"......"
He glared at Dokgo Hyun, showing clear displeasure.
Like someone robbed of free food.
He didn't know exactly what A entailed since he wasn't a regressor, but the sense of loss was strong.
'Good instincts. Glare all you want.'
Dokgo Hyun snorted back.
He'd seen Lee Hyun-jun's power and ruthless nature, so like it or not, they were enemies.
'Or rather, I kinda want to pick a fight?'
It'd be easier if Lee Hyun-jun saw him as a rival openly.
Unpredictable power scared him; declared hostility was manageable.
'Plus, I know all his skills and artifacts. He knows nothing of mine.'
Then, the new preliminary round mission 3 window appeared, completely different from before regression.
Preliminary Round Mission 3: Gather and Scatter Game
📍 Goal: Follow Supervisor's orders and play Gather and Scatter under set conditions.
Here, 'Scatter' means at least 30cm apart from each other.
Here, 'Gather' means pressed together within 3cm of each other.
⏰ Success Bonus: 300 Coins
💥 Failure Penalty: Explosion
⏱ Time Limit: 10 minutes
💬 Admin Comment: Choose teammates wisely!
"Gather and Scatter Game?"
"That thing from elementary school retreats?"
"But the distances for scatter and gather look super strict, right?"
The moment players muttered.
"Get ready! Beginning!"
Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!
A bell rang from the TV guy's head.
That was the signal.
"Pairs of two, scatter and gather in 15 seconds!"
Thud!
Surprisingly, everyone succeeded.
With 478 survivors, pairing up was no issue.
"Ah, hello."
"Yes, hello."
Dokgo Hyun paired with a young male player he'd never seen.
No time for proper greetings.
Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!
Next bell.
"Mix men and women, groups of three in 20 seconds, scatter and gather!"
Some failed this time.
The 'mix men and women' rule tangled movements.
Luckily, Dokgo Hyun and the young player teamed with a nearby female player.
Groups fighting over single women were common—more male survivors skewed the gender ratio.
"Heh. Men fighting over one girl."
The TV guy mockingly prepared to kill failures.
"Wait! Hold on!"
"Hm? What?"
A trio of men ran up.
"I-I'm actually a woman in terms of gender identity."
"......"
The gym fell silent in an instant.