Captain Battle (2)
There was no familiar three-second countdown. Nor was this the center of the circular arena. The smooth outer wall had at some point sprouted bars, trapping them in a confined space. Yun-seok was inside it. Along with two challengers he'd never seen before.
3:3 Captain Battle begins.
Challengers, decide on vanguard, midguard, and captain.
Time until battle start: 0:04:59.
They were given five minutes. Yun-seok didn't panic at the 6th Floor trial either—he'd gotten the info from Elle and immediately sized up his teammates.
"Captain Battle? What the hell is this?"
The woman in flowing martial robes of white and red asked warily. She hadn't drawn her sword yet, but it was clear she was ready to strike at any moment.
She must not have heard about this duel from her manager...
Fortunately, the other one was different.
"It seems the young lady is in her first arena match since reaching the 6th Floor. Is this your first time on that side as well, sir?"
The beastkin man with a siege-weapon-sized bow slung over his shoulder asked Yun-seok, who shook his head.
"It's my first, but my manager explained the trial."
"Then that makes things quick. Still, since one of us is in the dark and we have time, let's start with a simple rundown before we begin."
Wasn't the meowing thing a beastkin trait? Or maybe he wasn't a feline? Yun-seok wasn't sure, but the beastkin—who'd already revealed this was his third go at the trial—neatly summarized Captain Battle.
"Captain Battle is a 3v3 team fight, but structured as repeated 1v1s. However, it's not over after one duel—the winner fights the next opponent consecutively."
The woman tilted her head at the beastkin's question—'Do you understand up to here?'—then nodded up and down. It looked like she didn't really get it but was agreeing anyway. Was that just his imagination? Whatever—it wasn't worth worrying about.
"For this match only, we're a unit. We win together or lose together. Got it?"
Stressing solidarity, the beastkin suggested they share their abilities to some degree. But the woman listening quietly cut him off flat.
"Why bother? We're not even fighting together anyway."
Her voice was prickly, but Yun-seok agreed. No need to share abilities. And once the match ended, their temporary alliance would dissolve back into rivalry.
But to the beastkin, who'd done this several times before, it must have felt different. He frowned briefly at her attitude, then sighed without further protest—probably figuring there was no gain in arguing.
"...Fine. Let's decide our roles then."
Vanguard, midguard, captain. The five minutes were likely meant for coordinating the order. As expected, agreement wasn't smooth.
"I'll take captain, so you two sort out the rest."
The woman declared abruptly, and the beastkin pushed back.
"You can't just decide unilaterally. At least hear everyone's opinion..."
Had he dealt with this a lot? A vein bulged on the beastkin's forehead.
But the woman ignored him and kept talking.
"Isn't it common sense for the strongest to be captain?"
Her tone carried annoyance, like why do I have to explain the obvious?
It must have been absurd to the beastkin. Lecturing on "common sense" without even one Captain Battle under her belt?
Yet he had deep patience. His fist trembled slightly, but he regained composure and responded logically.
"So you're saying you're the strongest here? How would we know? We haven't fought yet..."
"Don't call me young lady. It's annoying. And to answer... nah, why bother answering?"
The beastkin tried to retort, but she ruthlessly cut him off and struck hard.
"You said it's your third time already? That explains the level."
"It's just bad luck in matches...!"
The beastkin shouted indignantly. Naturally, she didn't even pretend to listen. She just snorted derisively and delivered the finishing blow.
"If you're trying to luck your way up, just stay quiet. I'll handle it however I want."
"You, you fucking...!"
Even the gentlemanly beastkin cursed. But the woman just clicked her tongue—tch tch—muttering "low-class" without further response.
Refusing to back down, the beastkin dragged Yun-seok into it.
"Fine by me. But what about him? It's his first too, right?"
The arrow had turned to him suddenly, but... Yun-seok was curious what she'd say, so he stayed silent.
"Tch! No eye for talent, that's why you're still here. Just look at that poser mask."
Without hesitation, she glanced sidelong at the twin swords at Yun-seok's waist.
She apparently thought those were for show too.
"Wearing a mask doesn't make him weaker—that's ridiculous logic. Hey, you! Aren't you pissed?"
The beastkin advocated for Yun-seok like it was his own fight, but really he just wanted backup to bash her.
Yun-seok understood the prodding, but he had no interest in joining.
"Why would I be pissed? It's pointless anyway."
"See? Even he agrees!"
"How the hell is that agreeing?!"
Yun-seok watched their bickering with pity. Fighting over order like this? He couldn't understand. Time was already under a minute.
Wait, not order—pride?
Whatever. Yun-seok stepped forward, blocking them.
"Enough. I'll take vanguard."
Volunteering for the dirtiest role, Yun-seok calmed the beastkin too.
"...Alright. I'll do midguard then. It pisses me off letting that uneducated woman have her way, but I won't burden you."
He seemed mature, but Yun-seok suspected if he'd picked midguard, they'd have clashed again.
Well, nobody wants vanguard.
Vanguard fought blind, with no info. Unless you won all three straight, death was certain. Team victory meant no coin loss, but nobody liked dying.
But...
For me, it's perfect.
Clank! Time up—the bars rose. Yun-seok drew his twin swords and strode into the sunlit circular arena.
"Sorry for dumping vanguard on you."
Yun-seok chuckled and shook his head at the beastkin's parting words.
"No need."
He meant it. He'd never planned to yield his turn anyway.
Three at once...
His belly would be full after this duel.
* * *
Thud. Thud.
As Yun-seok emerged, a figure stepped out slowly from the opposite bars.
Demon? New type...
Orc and devil. Only two demons Yun-seok had met. This one looked utterly different. Bluish scales poked through leather skin, a long tail dragged threateningly on the ground. Face like a crocodile? Elongated snout.
Lizardman, probably.
First encounter with an unknown race, but he'd heard the description in chat before.
You have encountered a non-human or beastkin enemy.
Agility temporarily +1.
Ark Hunter's hunting gloves activated. No strength boost—probably not classified as a large monster. No big loss; he hadn't expected to need it soon.
Still...
No evil mark is a bummer.
No marker above the lizardman warrior's head. Looked like a sneaky fighter type, but apparently no such hobby. No extra stat boosts then.
Don't get cocky.
Maybe overconfident after wiping hundreds? He knew hubris was poison, but he couldn't feel any real threat. All the more reason to focus. No guarantee this wasn't another Cheonma or Steel King. Or maybe this lizardman was some tribal hero.
"......"
Yun-seok cautiously closed distance, probing. The lizardman did the same. Despite aggressive looks, it was cautious. But as gap narrowed, it lunged suddenly, spotting an opening.
Weapon: long trident. Longer reach than Yun-seok's swords—test thrust. Clean and fierce.
Whoosh!
Yun-seok grinned. It had hidden moves, but this attack gauged its level. Decent thrust, but...
That was it. No different from Jang-il or other 6th Floor duelists.
This works with the plan.
Yun-seok dodged the lizardman's one-sided barrage.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
No wasted motion. Read trajectory with eyes, minimal evasion. Looked like he was barely hanging on.
"Hey, mask! Fight for real!"
Shout from the bars. The bossy murim woman.
Cheering? Kinda bitchy...
Then: "At least land a hit before you die!"
Yep, straight-up insulting. Looked like noble miss, acted like street thug.
After prolonged evasion, Yun-seok regripped his swords. Not because of her—he'd achieved his goal.
'One Step Ahead'—evade 100 attacks without one hit. Goal met; no need to hold back.
Yun-seok coated his swords in Blood Demon Qi.
"...!"
Flickering red, ominous sword aura. The lizardman flinched, backing off mid-aggression.
But it overlooked one thing: distance meant nothing to Yun-seok, spear or bow.
Whiiiiiing!
Yun-seok fired the condensed Blood Demon Qi. And that was it.
Boom boom boom!
It exploded massively on contact. Random attribute this time: fire.
"......"
"......"
Silence fell. Battle reversed and ended anticlimactically.
Unique Skill <Predation> activated.
Randomly acquire one of the opponent's skills.
Spear Mastery (Rank C-) acquired.
Randomly plunder one of the opponent's equipment.
Wasteland Leather Boots (Rank D+) plundered.
Absorb a portion of the opponent's highest stat.
Strength absorbed.
The worried beastkin and yelling woman both shut up. Yun-seok murmured flatly.
"Next."