Chapter 111: 10-Quad. The Final Battle (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 111: 10-Quad. The Final Battle (1)
Dump grunted, looping a thick rope over his shoulder before lashing it tightly to the stern of the Turtle Ship.
After securing the line—which was as thick as his own brawny forearm—he turned toward Seo-un and shouted, “Everything’s ready on this end!”
“Rimin! Move out!”
At Seo-un’s command, Rimin started the vessel. The Turtle Ship began to crawl forward.
“Five is definitely too many! We’re barely picking up any speed.” Seo-un shook his head as he watched the ship move even slower than a standard Panokseon. “Dump! Untie one of them.”
Dump let out a heavy sigh, looking at the thick rope he had just struggled to secure. “Can’t I just cut it?”
“No. That’s our last rope.”
After seeing the ropes stocked on the Turtle Ship, Seo-un had devised a strategy: they would connect the smallest islands marked with question marks to the Turtle Ship and tow them along.
Nam Sa-gwang spoke up, clearly dissatisfied with the sight. “Are you sure they’ll move according to your plan? Your opponent is a warmonger known as the Madman of the Battlefield.”
“I know a thing or two about war myself.”
This survival game, which blatantly borrowed elements from Earth’s video games, was a battlefield Seo-un understood better than anyone, having spent more than half his life gaming.
Having finished his piece, Seo-un sat down and closed his eyes. Nam Sa-gwang watched silently as nature’s energy swirled around Seo-un, converging on him.
In that moment, a strand of Seo-un’s hair that had fallen to the deck instantly transformed into another Seo-un and leapt into the sea. The clone sprinted across the towlines, boarded one of the islands, and untied the rope anchored to a massive tree.
—It’s loose!
At the clone’s shout, Dump, Jin Long, and Gi-chan began to haul the rope back onto the ship. Shortly after, the island that had been released was engulfed in flames. Dump shook his head as he watched the landmass burn to nothing; the flames were so intense it looked as if the entire island was being incinerated.
“It’s a total inferno this time.”
“Better than a loud explosion.”
“It’s burning quite well for being surrounded by the ocean,” Rimin and Gi-chan added, watching the distant, blazing island.
“If it weren’t for the clones, checking the islands would have been impossible, right?”
“Of course. Even if you had several spare lives, it would’ve been out of the question.”
While the team talked, Seo-un was preoccupied with refilling his empty Middle Dantian.
In the case of the Cloning Technique, creating one clone consumed about 20 units of Immortal Qi. The catch was that if the clone was maintained for more than ten minutes, the same amount of Immortal Qi was consumed again. Furthermore, using the Transformation Technique caused a continuous drain on his energy.
In other words, checking just one island cost a staggering 20 units of Immortal Qi. With his current capacity, it was difficult to check the islands that appeared frequently.
Even as he felt the Immortal Qi filling his Middle Dantian, Seo-un continued to circulate his Chukseon Art. He remained like that for a long while, but the result he desired simply wouldn't come.
“Damn it.”
Seeing Seo-un open his eyes, Nam Sa-gwang asked, “It’s not going as well as you hoped?”
“Yeah. I don’t get it. The skill description clearly said I could condense Immortal Qi. I can refill the empty Middle Dantian, but I can’t condense any more than that.”
“This energy you handle, this ‘Immortal Qi,’ is something even I haven’t encountered. I can’t offer much advice.”
A capacity of 150 Immortal Qi was far too low for Seo-un right now. If he used the Cloning Technique and the Transformation Technique together, the energy drained so quickly he could barely use them, which was starting to make him anxious. At first, he was confident that once he grew accustomed to the Chukseon Art, a path would open, but he couldn't see a breakthrough.
“Trying to rush anything always leads to side effects. I’m a prime example of that.”
Seo-un’s lips curled into a faint smile as he listened to Nam Sa-gwang’s self-deprecating advice.
“Junior, survival in this game is already guaranteed. Can’t you let go of the pressure to reach the top ranks? If it doesn’t happen this time, there’s always the next game, isn’t there?”
When even Jin Long stepped forward to say that, Seo-un’s heart felt much lighter. He realized that at some point, he had become obsessed with the pressure of taking the TOP 1 spot. He had forgotten that not long ago, survival and farming were his only concerns.
“Phew. Thanks to you all, I feel much better.”
Seeing his relaxed expression, Rimin asked, “Shall we head out now?”
“Yeah.”
Towing four islands behind it, the Turtle Ship’s speed was slightly faster than before.
“At this rate, we’re about as fast as a Carrack.” Rimin assessed the ship’s speed with a cool eye and nodded. “It seems a bit slower than a Carrack, but there’s almost no difference. But are you sure we should go this way?”
“Yes. For now, it’s the only landmark we have.”
In the center of the map, a small area of sea and islands was visible—the only part not covered in pitch-black darkness. When he had asked the Siren, she said that was the only exit leading out of this place.
“Hyung. The numbers aren’t dropping anymore. It looks like everyone who’s going to make it in is already here.”
“I expected as much since the magnetic field appeared yesterday.”
223/1000
.
.
.
Kaina – Died outside the restricted zone.
Since midnight yesterday, a magnetic field had begun to form within this sea region as well. Seeing that, he assumed all the surviving players had already entered the area.
While he continued the task of refilling his Immortal Qi through the Chukseon Art and checking the islands that appeared, the loud thunder of magic cannons echoed from afar.
Boom! Boom!
“Sounds like a fight.”
It was their first encounter with enemies since entering this region. Seo-un had the ship stop near a gentle slope, then leapt into the water toward an island floating above the incline. Nam Sa-gwang and Jin Long also threw themselves into the sea to scout ahead with him.
Nam Sa-gwang, using Water Walking, and Seo-un, who had transformed into a merman, were the first to reach the island.
“Four against six.”
Seo-un nodded as he pulled out a monocular to observe the battlefield. The enemy ships seemed to be engaged in a probing battle, circling each other on different currents and firing magic cannons.
“We should assume all the other squads are teaming up.”
Seo-un nodded at the words of the late-arriving Jin Long. “There are ten ships over there. Gwang-gun’s fleet is also about ten ships. That’s twenty ships in total, so there must be nearly 200 people.”
“There’s no guarantee every ship is filled with exactly ten people.”
“True, but they probably have at least eight. You need people to fire the magic cannons, someone to steer the ship, at least two mages, and at least four knights or martial artists to fight if they get boarded.”
“But how long do they plan on just firing cannons like that? By now, they should’ve clashed properly.”
“Could they be planning to join forces?”
Nam Sa-gwang frowned at Jin Long’s suggestion. In the current situation, if they weren't fools, they might think it better to join forces rather than fight.
“I think it’s best to intervene now.”
Seo-un shook his head as he watched Nam Sa-gwang build up his momentum. “It’s better if they join forces. They’ll serve as a counterweight to Gwang-gun’s fleet.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
The ships, which had been gradually reducing their cannon fire and closing the distance with magic, finally saw martial artists and knights leaping between them. Not long after the ships were boarded and the air was filled with explosions and screams, the commotion died down.
“Is it over already?”
The three men peered through their monoculars, trying to see inside the ships obscured by large sails.
“Looks like one side absorbed the other.”
Jin Long nodded at Seo-un’s words. “In the end, they used force to absorb the enemy.”
Nam Sa-gwang made no effort to hide his look of disgust. “Weaklings. Bowing their heads and crawling to the enemy just for the sake of a game score.”
“A single rank can change the number of coins you get.”
At Seo-un’s remark, Jin Long continued to watch the ten departing ships with a dissatisfied expression. “Three died. Now there are exactly 220 left.”
After confirming the enemies had disappeared over a mountain in the great sea, Seo-un returned to the ship. When he explained the situation, Juriel spoke with a serious expression.
“That means it’ll be a confrontation between King Senrurk and the currently allied teams.”
“I’m not certain, but I saw about four knights among the newly allied ones whose movements were exceptional.”
“Sword Emperors?”
When Dump asked, Nam Sa-gwang nodded, causing Dump to grumble. “Damn it. Why do Sword Emperors keep popping up all the time? Even in the Imperial Capital, those guys stay locked away in the castle.”
“It just means the level of the game has risen that much.”
“In the future, are we going to have to play survival games in places crawling with monsters like that?”
“If you keep surviving and moving up, naturally, that’s what will happen.”
Dump’s eyes widened when his casual grumble was met with such a matter-of-fact answer. “Why so surprised? Did you think you’d always face easy opponents?”
“Well, no... but I never imagined I’d be competing for survival in a place full of Sword Emperors.”
Seo-un shook his head. In any game, the high-tier ranks were filled with veteran experts. It was only natural that pushing into those ranks and competing with top-tier players wouldn't be easy.
“But are you really going to do it?”
At Rimin’s question, Seo-un looked at the islands being towed behind the Turtle Ship. “Why else would I be dragging those heavy things around?”
“I just wonder if it’ll work out like you think.”
“Even if it doesn’t, we can certainly deal some damage.”
Juriel also chimed in, sounding worried. “What if the enemies don’t move as expected, or if a variable prevents us from using the clones?”
“If that happens... one of us will have to go onto those islands and open the boxes.”
At that answer, several team members who had been looking at each other raised their hands. It was Juriel, Li Lingwei, Lyle, and Rimin.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but if the situation arises... please act without hesitation.”
The four of them nodded firmly.
“The situation has fallen in our favor. Now, we just have to do our best with the play we’ve decided on.”
Time passed quickly.
After ten days, the force field restricting the Mirage Sea had shrunk considerably. In the meantime, enemies traveling alone like Seo-un’s team were picked off by Gwang-gun.
Exactly ten days after they began tailing the newly allied team from a distance, the situation they had been waiting for finally occurred.
In the distance, between islands with a long split down the center, an area of exceptionally blue water caught their eye. The two fleets were eyeing each other warily across that island. Gwang-gun’s fleet, which had already occupied the island, and the new teaming group, which had arrived by following the center mark on the map, faced off.
Seo-un, who had been watching them from a distance while anchored, opened the outer door of the Turtle Ship.
“Calculate your timing well. If you mess up, it’s a dog’s death.”
Seo-un smiled at Nam Sa-gwang’s words. Not only him, but all the team members were looking at Seo-un with grim expressions.
“Don’t worry too much. If things don’t go as planned... follow the backup plan.”
The backup plan wasn't actually anything grand. It was simply a suicide mission: taking advantage of the chaos while the enemies fought to charge in with the Turtle Ship and detonate the four islands to kill as many enemies as possible and boost their ranking.
With the team’s gaze on his back, Seo-un leapt into the sea.
As soon as he entered the water, he transformed into a merman and began heading toward the tension-filled battlefield. Several Sirens followed after him. Looking up at the hulls of the ships floating above, Seo-un gathered internal power in his fingertips. A powerful shout reached even beneath the waves.
—If you surrender quietly, I’ll see to it that you can finish the game with the highest rank possible!
Trying to play clever, are we?
Boosting their rank ultimately meant killing everyone in the squad except for one person, leaving only one survivor per squad to end the game. Theoretically, in a 1000-player game with 100 squads, you could ensure the lowest rank was TOP 100. It was a level where you could not only survive but also receive decent rewards.
It was a method that exploited the game’s rules, where survival performance was determined by the number of players rather than squads. Because of these rules, teaming like this was possible in squad games, but to Seo-un, who had always played solo or team-focused games, teaming was an eyesore.
—Hmph! Do you think we’d believe the words of someone like Gwang-gun, who knows nothing of honor? Even if we are defeated, we will fight honorably to the end!
Honorably? You guys are teaming. Here, eat this.
Feeling no need to listen further, Seo-un reached out toward the hull of the lead ship in Gwang-gun’s fleet. His hand, though not perfect, was clad in flickering red aura. The moment it struck the hull, he felt the resistance of a powerful barrier.
Seo-un, who hadn't expected to break through in one hit anyway, continued his assault. Before long, a hole was punched through the bottom. The ship’s deck was chaotic for a moment, and then several knights and martial artists leapt into the sea.
Faster than I thought.
Seo-un looked around mockingly as the enemies dove into the water with weapons in hand. He had expected to punch holes in at least three ships before they came for him. The enemies, seeing him in the form of a merman, tilted their heads in confusion and paddled toward him, but a human could never be faster than a merman underwater.
Avoiding them, Seo-un moved to another ship and repeated the process. This time, the enemies jumped into the water before he could even finish punching through the hull.
—There’s a crazy Siren punching holes under the ships!
At that shout, enemies dove into the water from all over, but Seo-un ignored them all and focused on sabotaging the ships. When the enemies swung their weapons or fired magic, he dodged appropriately and attacked another ship. Furthermore, many mages were physically weak and were reluctant to enter the water where they couldn't be properly protected.
After he had punched holes in four ships, a war of attrition began between the enemies throwing repair kits from the deck and Seo-un, who kept making more holes.
Crunch!
As he shoved his fingers into another hull that was holding out with its barrier and high durability, an arrow cut through the water toward him.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out despite being underwater. Seo-un’s eyes narrowed as he blocked the arrow with Hamit, which was wrapped around his arm. The archer, who moved nimbly even underwater and was being a nuisance, was getting on his nerves. He had left the archer alone because the elf was surrounded by knights and martial artists, making it difficult to attack, but the constant stream of arrows was becoming irritating.
After glaring at the archer for a moment, Seo-un forced himself to look away and moved quickly to another ship. An arrow fired by the elf cut through the water right beside him.
[Special Stat: Immortal Qi. 83/150]
If only I had enough Immortal Qi...
After he had spent more time punching holes in the ships, two of them finally began to sink deep below the surface, unable to be repaired. Looking around, he saw more than fifty furious players. They had belatedly realized the situation was dire when a single "crazy monster," which they had initially thought was nothing, kept punching holes until they ran out of repair kits.
Fools. If you leave your posts this much...
As Seo-un turned his gaze, the enemy ships that had been facing off in the distance began to move.
—They’re coming! Everyone, get back up!
It was the natural progression. The moment the enemies, who had been shooting furious glares at Seo-un, scrambled to get back to the surface, he pulled a bow from his subspace.
I can’t just let you go.
Seo-un, who had two of the elf’s arrows stuck in his back, aimed his bowstring at the elf who had been so persistent.
Whish! Thud!
A pyeonjeon buried itself into the back of the elf’s head as he swam toward the surface, and red blood began to cloud the surrounding water. One player, seeing his companion suddenly go limp, looked back and shouted something in shock. Though he couldn't hear it clearly underwater, Seo-un didn't have time to listen to the man’s screams.
[Special Stat: Immortal Qi. 29/150]
It was time to head back.
—Tie the ships together so they don’t sink!
—Use ropes or whatever, just lash them to the undamaged ships! We’re about to clash with them!
Hearing the shouts from afar, the corners of Seo-un’s mouth curled up. When a ship has a hole and is about to sink, there are two choices: either abandon the ship and board another, or connect it to another ship to maintain buoyancy.
That was why he had only punched holes in ships 2, 4, 7, and 9 out of a line of ten. The fact that the enemy fleet had charged in at that moment was nothing short of a stroke of luck.