The Spotlight on the Flag
The battle was about to erupt when a single beam of light descended upon each camp alongside a message.
30 minutes remain until the final field collapse.
The flag owners have been marked.
“Huh?”
The light pouring from the sky illuminated Han Gamin like a spotlight on a stage. Her face went pale at the unexpected development. I immediately turned to scan the other camps and identify who else held a flag. At least we weren’t the only ones marked, so there was no need to feel too disadvantaged.
What mattered more than the light itself was who stood beneath it.
That one’s going to be troublesome…
A single knight entered my line of sight—an upright warrior clad in crimson full-plate armor. He had once become a Level 6 monster thanks to the Heart of Frost during the individual matches, only to return to normal afterward. Players from other camps spotted him, grimaced, and immediately searched for weaker targets. Right now, their priority was stealing flags from those weaker than themselves. If they couldn’t manage that, conserving strength while others fought and then snatching exhausted opponents’ flags seemed the wisest course.
“W-what do we do…?”
Han Gamin, now sparkling with light, turned to me with a tearful expression. This was a flag-capture battle, not an annihilation match. If she drew concentrated fire, she could be eliminated in an instant regardless of how strong the rest of us were.
“We… probably need a plan…”
At someone’s words, all eyes turned toward the speaker. Other groups were already huddling to discuss strategy. Seeing this, another person cautiously spoke up.
“How about we split into teams? Like dividing into forwards, midfielders, and defenders in soccer…”
“You mean assigning positions?”
People nodded. It made sense—most sports relied on formations to execute the most effective tactics. When even Namgung Cheonho, who added his own thoughts, showed agreement, the group’s consensus began shifting toward assigning roles.
“That doesn’t sound bad. We could station more people to protect Gamin and send a small elite unit to attack the enemy flags…”
“It would definitely be more stable…”
“Then who handles the attack…”
Once a direction was set, people began chiming in. Looking around, I noticed other coordinates were also selecting personnel, apparently arriving at similar plans.
Park Jocheol, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward after enhancing his hearing with Super Sensory.
“Then Cheonho and I will move with these five. Since Siin is the strongest, please protect Gamin.”
But I couldn’t readily agree. If I stayed by Han Gamin’s side, she would certainly be safe, yet failing to capture any flags would mean certain defeat.
When I remained silent, Namgung Cheonho glanced at me curiously.
“What do you think, Siin?”
“Hmm…”
I hesitated. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if voicing my thoughts was wise. But the person most crucial to executing the plan forming in my mind was none other than Han Gamin, so I naturally turned to her.
“Let’s all go on the offensive. Including Gamin.”
“……What?”
Though the situation felt like a sport, this was no game. There were no rules, and killing opponents was permitted—it was simply war. On second thought, if the goalkeeper ran around carrying the goalpost, that would be the most troublesome scenario for the opposing side.
“I’ll take the lead. We’ll move with Gamin at the center. Those confident in close combat rather than magic will form the raiding party and steal flags from coordinates currently engaged in battle.”
In short, I was proposing guerrilla warfare. There was no need to mirror the other coordinates’ strategies.
“But before that…”
I narrowed my eyes and gazed at the unfrozen lake below. The greatest variable in this battle for every coordinate wasn’t anything else—it was the merfolk. They posed no real threat to me, but now seemed the perfect time to use the trump card I had prepared.
“Huuuup!”
I drew in the deepest breath I could, inflating my lungs, then plunged my head into the water and shouted.
Geumriiiiiin!!!
Glub glub!
I couldn’t tell if my voice carried underwater. But when I saw the dark shadows writhing up from the lakebed, I knew my message had been received.
***
—That human bastard dares—
—Calm yourself.
—No, Your Majesty Geumrin! Did you not clearly witness what that human did?
At the merfolk’s reaction, Geumrin frowned and spoke.
—I saw it too. So that’s enough.
At Geumrin’s firm response, the merfolk fell silent, their faces hardening. The surviving merfolk were furious at the human named Kim Siin. Whether the lightning had fallen by chance or by his design, the fact remained that countless merfolk had been eliminated because of it.
—A promise is a promise. We must keep it.
—Geumrin!
The promise made with the human Kim Siin. Regardless of any damage the lightning had inflicted on the merfolk, he had been their benefactor who protected Geumrin throughout the individual matches. The merfolk assumed Geumrin’s choice stemmed from such personal sentiment.
—Your Majesty Geumrin.
At that moment, someone approached Geumrin’s side.
—As the King’s Sword, Cheongrin, I must ask. Is there a special reason you accepted his alliance?
Geumrin looked up. Cheongrin stared straight at him, his expression rigid with obvious anger.
—He is the enemy of the fallen merfolk. Do you truly intend to maintain this alliance over such petty sentiment?
He had aided the merfolk king during the individual matches. Yet in the team matches, he had massacred the merfolk with a single bolt of lightning. Cheongrin clearly found it unacceptable to ally with such a human.
—Do you truly believe that?
—…Pardon?
At Geumrin’s sudden question, Cheongrin tilted his head in confusion.
—I asked if you truly believe I am allying with the man named Kim Siin out of mere sentiment.
Cheongrin’s face stiffened at Geumrin’s words. But Geumrin continued as if it didn’t matter what the other thought.
—Do not misunderstand. What I intend to do now is for the sake of those who returned to the lobby.
—What do you mean…
—I assume you know that death here is not true death. And what matters now is not revenge, but achieving the best possible outcome we can manage.
The merfolk, who had stayed underwater claiming they would protect their flag, were effectively the weakest coordinate left in this field. They had occasionally stolen flags, but only in the early stages. Compared to the coordinates that had shed blood and sweat until the very end, their growth was negligible.
—Do you believe that man requested an alliance with us? No. He showed us mercy.
Geumrin could feel it. The human who could somehow control lightning, who had single-handedly slain a Level 6 monster in the individual matches and continued growing stronger ever since. That human had swung his sword and frozen the lake’s surface. In other words, he could have completely sealed them by freezing all the way to the lakebed, yet he had chosen not to.
—I have no interest in revenge for my comrades who returned to the lobby without dying. My focus is solely on successfully concluding the team matches.
At Geumrin’s words, Cheongrin turned to look at him, hiding his surprise. His king now resembled his elder brother. He was becoming a king who possessed insight Cheongrin had never seen before.
***
Collapse is accelerating.
“Waaaah!”
“Block them! No, kill them!”
As the remaining land behind them shook and crumbled away, the players—now closer to other coordinates—drew their swords. Combat erupted naturally, and our coordinate achieved the greatest results, as expected.
“Those crazy bastards! They’re not even worried about the merfolk?”
“The flag—the kid has the flag! Steal it!”
“How!?”
Players from all coordinates had formed formations that kept flag owners protected at the lake’s edge, wary of the merfolk. They feared entering the water with a flag and becoming fish food. Naturally, some in our coordinate shared the same concern.
“Shouldn’t we prepare for the merfolk as well?”
“No. The merfolk won’t attack us.”
“How can you be so sure…?”
“Well, if the merfolk have any sense, they won’t.”
The merfolk—especially Geumrin and Cheongrin—had witnessed my prowess multiple times. I had even frozen the lake’s surface with my sword just moments ago. Unless they had the brains of goldfish, they wouldn’t target our coordinate first. What good would it do hyenas to provoke a lion that hadn’t attacked first, nor encroached on their territory or stolen their prey?
Of course, we’ll fight eventually.
For now, focusing on the prey before us was the right move.
Moonlight Sword Art — First Form: New Moon
You have captured a flag.
Your coordinate’s flag has been strengthened.
My sword fell upon the head of a player with crimson skin. As if waiting for this moment, Namgung Cheonho kicked off the ice and soared upward to snatch the flag.
“T-this is cheating!!!”
“These crazy bastards…”
The crimson-skinned players turned to glare at me with eyes full of resentment. The moment my feet touched the water, the lake froze solid as if land had simply appeared. As my stats increased, the cold aura emanating from my body expanded the frozen ground I could stand upon.