Chapter 120: Solo. Nam Sa-gwang Gets Kidnapped(?)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 120: Solo. Nam Sa-gwang Gets Kidnapped(?)
As the morning sun began to crest over the horizon, two men woke from a few hours of fitful sleep in the pitch-black depths of a subway passage to share a simple meal.
Seo-un pulled a Subway sandwich he had stashed in his subspace. As they ate, Nam Sa-gwang asked, “Is there a reason we have to move during the day? This map is packed with skyscrapers; we’ll be sitting ducks if we take the main roads.”
“It’s the same even if we move at night. Besides, we’re heading for the mountains, so it doesn’t matter.”
“The mountains?”
“Yeah. There’s a place I need to stop by on the way. If you’re done eating, let’s move.”
They traversed the dark tunnel for one station before emerging from a brightly lit exit.
Nam Sa-gwang scanned their surroundings warily. As soon as they stepped outside, the massive Munhak Stadium loomed before them. “What is that place?” he asked.
“A stadium for a sport called baseball. It’s designed so a massive crowd can watch professional athletes compete.”
“I once saw an arena where gladiators fought for their lives in a previous game. It looks similar to that.”
Seo-un nodded. “Any structure built for a crowd to watch a match is going to look more or less the same.”
With that, Seo-un dashed across the road and plunged into the thick woods beyond the sidewalk.
“Is this the mountain you mentioned?”
Seo-un nodded to Nam Sa-gwang, who was keeping pace effortlessly beside him. “Moving through the mountains lets us stay out of sight. Plus, there’s a place here I absolutely have to visit.”
Nam Sa-gwang was deeply curious. Why ignore the city center, which was teeming with buildings to farm, and head into the mountains instead?
Using their Lightness Skills, they scaled the modest peak and reached the summit in no time.
“This place… what is it?” Nam Sa-gwang’s eyes gleamed as he looked at the clearing and the buildings nestled within the woods.
“A military base,” Seo-un answered curtly, his eyes quickly scanning the compound.
His gaze soon landed on the armory. A smirk played on his lips as he tore the locked door off its hinges and stepped inside.
“Are these the ‘guns’ Earth players sometimes use?”
“These kinds of firearms aren’t much help to us.”
“Then why come all this way?”
“For these.”
Seo-un began sweeping every Claymore he could find into his subspace.
“What are those?”
“Explosives, simply put.”
“Didn’t you already pack plenty of Mana Explosion Scrolls?” Nam Sa-gwang watched him with a puzzled expression, remembering how Seo-un had hoarded every Mana Explosion Scroll they had found while farming.
“If you want to cut the power to an entire district, the more explosives, the better.”
After grabbing every grenade in sight along with the Claymores, Seo-un headed toward Samoji Park with a lighter heart.
After descending the mountain and scouting the area, he made his way to the KEPCO Nam-Incheon Branch. He set up nearly five Mana Explosion Scrolls, and as if that wasn't enough, he pulled the pins on five grenades, taped the levers down, and scattered them around the facility.
The two men retreated a safe distance and watched the building from afar. Suddenly, Seo-un’s clone walked up to the Mana Explosion Scrolls and triggered the blast.
KABOOM! BOOM!
The shockwave from the explosion was so intense it rattled the rooftops of distant apartment buildings.
“That should have cut the power in this area.”
Nam Sa-gwang shook his head as he watched the KEPCO building collapse in a cloud of dust. “This will draw the attention of every player nearby.”
“Well, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. According to the map, there’s a buff monster in the Munhak Tunnel nearby. If we clear out the players in the area, we might be able to take the buff monster for ourselves.”
“A buff monster, huh…”
“In a situation like this, boss monsters and buff monsters have a significant impact on the game. If we can take it, we should.”
“So, you plan to clear out anyone with the same idea tonight?”
“If possible.”
Whish! Thud! Thud! Thud!
As they spoke, three arrows whistled through the air.
The two men retreated, leaving afterimages behind as a rapid-fire volley of arrows slammed into the spot where they had just been standing. They immediately scanned the direction of the attack.
In the distance, they caught a glimpse of a player with a bow, swinging between buildings on a rope like a pendulum before vanishing from sight.
“That guy again.”
Nam Sa-gwang grimaced in annoyance. Ever since they first encountered him, this archer had been a nuisance, maintaining his distance and firing arrows from the most bizarre angles.
“Not now. Wait for nightfall.”
They had gone through the trouble of blowing up the KEPCO branch; it wasn't wise to start a fight in broad daylight near a building that had just been leveled with a thunderous roar.
“Let’s move. If that archer found us, others will too.”
With that, the two leapt off the rooftop railing.
They ran down the exterior wall of the building as if it were flat ground and hurried toward the nearest subway station.
“He’s persistent.”
The archer was following them like Spider-Man, firing ropes from his back and swinging through the air while raining down arrows.
“Ignore him. He won’t be able to follow us underground. He can’t pull those stunts in the tunnels.”
Seo-un dove into the entrance of Yeonsu Station.
Once they entered the subway tunnel, they threw on their Cloaks of Stealth, their presences vanishing perfectly into the darkness.
Flash! Ting-ting-ting!
However, Seo-un’s prediction was proven wrong.
An arrow carrying a sphere of intense blue light landed near them. Upon hitting the wall, it shattered into dozens of luminous fragments that scattered in every direction.
Though small, the fragments glowed with increasing intensity, filling the tunnel with a harsh blue light.
Their forms inevitably revealed, Seo-un irritably shoved his Cloak of Stealth back into his subspace.
“That little bastard!”
Nam Sa-gwang charged toward the direction of the arrow, and this time, Seo-un didn't stop him.
If the archer was bold enough to follow them here knowing it was a two-on-one situation, he had to die.
Does he think we’re easy prey?
Coming into a tunnel with a low ceiling armed only with a bow was a suicide mission.
Nam Sa-gwang lunged at the man, who was drawing his bowstring near the stairs leading to the upper floor. Seo-un followed close behind, but then he noticed a faint line connected to the man’s back.
It was as if the man was hugging the wall next to the stairs specifically to hide that line.
A Crown-rank player taking a risk in a two-on-one?
The thought flashed through Seo-un’s mind, and he screamed, “Get back!”
At that moment, an arrow glowing with golden light shot from the man’s hand.
Nam Sa-gwang hesitated for a split second at Seo-un’s order. With his reaction speed, he could have easily retreated, but he was certain he could kill the annoying pest right then and there.
That certainty proved to be a fatal mistake.
Instead of retreating, he unleashed his Hand Aura, intending to cleave through both the glowing arrow and the man. But the moment the arrow neared him, it split into five parts, descending upon him like a net.
Nam Sa-gwang tried to slash through the mesh with his Hand Aura, but the golden net wouldn't break.
And then Seo-un saw it.
The moment the golden net connected to the archer’s bow enveloped Nam Sa-gwang, the line attached to the man’s back also began to glow gold.
Seo-un, who had briefly retreated, lunged forward at maximum speed to reach them, but just as he reached out, the archer and Nam Sa-gwang vanished in a golden streak of light.
Watching the two disappear at an impossible speed, Seo-un realized there was no way he could give chase.
[Ding! You have been captured by an Irresistible Arrow. Resistance is impossible until the movement is complete.]
Nam Sa-gwang was dumbfounded as he was dragged away at an absurd velocity.
The only silver lining was that the guy dragging him didn't seem to be able to attack either.
Where the hell are you taking me?
Just as Seo-un was about to chase them out of the station, the stairs split in half as if an earthquake had struck, the ground flipping over.
Seo-un quickly jumped back, his eyes narrowing.
Earthquake.
It was only a 6th Circle spell, nothing too impressive, but the timing was the problem. It was far too suspicious for an enemy attack to come at this exact moment.
A short man in robes ran toward him, using the walls to bypass the shattered stairs and escalators. Seo-un charged to meet him.
Whoosh!
A pillar of fire erupted from the ground, blocking his vision. Trusting his Magic Resistance, Seo-un charged through it, only to be met by a flaming boulder hurtling toward him like a meteor.
CRASH!
Seo-un smashed the boulder with his Hand Aura-infused fist, his expression twisting.
Something was off. Two dolls—one red, one blue—sat on the man’s shoulders, their mouths moving incessantly as they muttered an incantation.
Not only that, but the magic was different from the mages he had faced before.
It feels more powerful.
It wasn't just his imagination. Even though it was the same spell, the impact he felt was far greater than when he faced Gi-chan’s magic.
Seo-un shook his hand to dull the pain in his wrist from smashing the flaming boulder. He retreated slightly and ran a hand through his hair.
He naturally let a few strands of hair fall near a massive pillar supporting the underground structure. Then, he suddenly lunged at the man to draw his attention.
Clang!
The man didn't seem bothered by Seo-un’s Hand Aura-infused fingertips, meeting them head-on with his staff. After exchanging a few blows, Seo-un’s brow furrowed.
He didn't know what the staff was made of, but it remained unscathed even after taking a direct hit from his Blood Bone Claw.
Furthermore, after that brief exchange, the man seemed to realize exactly where Seo-un’s Hand Aura was concentrated. He used his staff perfectly to block Seo-un’s attacks; his martial arts skills were by no means low.
He’s focusing entirely on blocking my Hand Aura.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As soon as the distance widened, a Wind Hammer erupted from the man’s staff with a surge of mana, chasing Seo-un and smashing the station interior.
Fwoosh!
Simultaneously, a stream of fire combined with the wind, rapidly growing in size as it flew toward him.
His casting speed is unnervingly fast.
It felt as if he were fighting two mages at once.
As Seo-un blocked the path between them, an Electric Arrow made of lightning shot through the spreading flames, leaving an afterimage.
Crackle!
Slash!
Out of the dozens of arrows, two managed to break through his barrier, grazing his shoulder and leg and sending a jolt of electricity through him.
Thump!
Seo-un instinctively used Stomp to drive the lightning energy out of his body. He stood his ground, facing the man.
He was definitely a formidable opponent. His mastery of both magic and martial arts was deep enough to be impressive.
A Battle Mage. That’s the perfect term for him.
At some point, Seo-un had given up on magic. It was partly a matter of preference, but he had chosen to invest his coins into martial arts and stat-boosting items instead. It was simply more efficient.
As his Magic Resistance grew, that tendency became even stronger. On the other hand, Gi-chan focused more on magic than martial arts.
Regardless of the choice, the number of coins required increased as one’s level rose, so Seo-un and Gi-chan had clearly defined their paths.
But this mage was the exact opposite, chasing both paths simultaneously.
When they were close, he defended with martial arts while pouring out status-effect magic. When they were apart, he switched to pure offensive magic. As Seo-un struggled to find an opening in this war of attrition, the corners of his mouth curled up.
Now!
Rumble!
The moment he shouted in his mind, a heavy vibration shook the station, and the lights went out.
He had heard somewhere that subway stations were designed to be used as shelters in emergencies, meaning they had backup power systems.
So, he had sent a clone he’d secretly created, clutching a Mana Explosion Scroll.
The moment the scroll was activated and the clone vanished, Seo-un pulled his Cloak of Stealth from his subspace and threw it on.
With his vision suddenly cut and the enemy’s presence gone, the mage habitually activated Carmen’s Eye, his eyes glowing with a green light.
Clang!
The mage’s heart skipped a beat as he blocked an attack from Seo-un, who had closed the distance in an instant.
Just as the man’s eyes gleamed, thinking he had the upper hand, the Seo-un in front of him vanished like a ghost.
Then, an enemy reached out from right beside him.
The mage blocked the hand with his staff, his eyes filled with confusion.
Why isn't he using Hand Aura? Is he already out of internal energy?
It made no sense. A martial artist capable of using Hand Aura wouldn't run out of energy this quickly.
At that moment, a powerful surge of energy from behind made the hair on the mage’s neck stand up.
He turned a beat too late, thrusting his staff forward, but Seo-un’s Blood Bone Claw was already inches away.
Crunch!
Seo-un’s hand tore through the man’s chest and crushed his heart. Blood trickled from the mage’s mouth and nose.
The mage collapsed without a sound, the light of life fading from his eyes. His body vanished, leaving behind a wooden supply box.
[Ding! Jin Seo-un - Crash (Kill with Hand Aura). Remaining Survivors: 139/150]
“What’s his connection to the archer? They didn't seem like a duo.”
If they were a duo, they would have attacked two-on-two rather than engaging in these separate one-on-one fights.
But it was too coincidental to say they weren't connected. He had appeared to block Seo-un’s path the exact moment Nam Sa-gwang was kidnapped(?).
What are you doing? Hurry up and finish things over there and come back.
Since no notification had appeared, it meant Nam Sa-gwang hadn't killed his enemy, but he hadn't been defeated either.