Chapter 121: Solo. The Weight of the Heavenly Demon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: Solo. The Weight of the Heavenly Demon
[You have obtained a pair of Ego Accessories: Chatterbox Dolls.]
Seo-un had been gathering various items while searching the mage’s box, but he tilted his head at the mention of "Ego Accessories."
[Chatterbox Dolls: A pair of blue and red dolls. When equipped on the shoulders, they will cast spells that synergize with the user and recommend suitable magic for various situations.]
“These… are similar to Hamit.”
-Do not compare me to such low-grade accessories.-
Hamit, taking offense, spoke up for the first time in a while.
“You or these things, you’re all just ego items anyway.”
-Comparing me to those dim-witted dolls is nonsensical. You can tell just by how those loudmouths can’t even squeak a word in my presence.-
Now that he thought about it, the two dolls hadn't uttered a single word despite their name. Seo-un picked them up.
-Lord Hamit is absolutely correct.-
-Insignificant accessories like us, who don't even have proper names, cannot be compared to Lord Hamit.-
Two different voices spoke in a polite, subdued tone, causing Seo-un’s lips to twitch.
“For a mage, these guys would be much better items than you. No wonder that mage’s casting speed was so fast.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Seo-un shoved the two dolls into his subspace and stood up.
It wasn't just any player who was missing; it was Nam Sa-gwang. Twenty minutes had passed since he had been lured away. The items used by the archer who took him were certainly strange, but even so, they couldn't have taken him that far.
‘The fact that he hasn't returned yet means…’
He was either in a situation where he couldn't return or a state where he didn't want to. It was one of the two. There weren't many people in the world who could force Nam Sa-gwang to do anything, and especially here, there was no reason to keep him alive and captured rather than just killing him.
‘In the end, it means he’s not coming.’
Since team voice chat was unavailable, his doubts grew, but for now, he had no choice but to trust his partner.
Having organized his thoughts, Seo-un looked up at the sky darkening outside the station. Variables had emerged, but it was time to move according to plan. If he just waited for Nam Sa-gwang here, his established plans might go down the drain.
Once the sun had completely set and darkness descended, Seo-un moved, draped in his Cloak of Stealth. He wore a satisfied smile at the absolute darkness. For a city night, the lack of even a single point of light was eerie, yet perfect for him.
As he ran toward the Munhak Tunnel, he stopped and quickly scanned his surroundings.
‘Two of them?’
-I feel no gaze.-
It was natural that Hamit felt nothing. The energy Seo-un sensed was definitely that of martial artists. The Cloak of Stealth had hidden him perfectly so far, with the sole exception of Carmen’s Eye.
Roughly fifty meters away, the energies of two martial artists were keeping each other in check, neither moving further away nor drawing closer.
‘Are they testing the waters?’
Leaping onto a darkened streetlight, Seo-un cast his gaze toward the two martial artists who looked ready to clash at any moment. He waited. In one hand, he held his bow with Hamit, who had already transformed into a pyeonjeon launcher.
An old man hiding behind a truck in a parking lot and a martial artist appearing from across the road began to creep toward each other.
‘An old man and a woman?’
Seeing the two begin to charge, Seo-un hurriedly drew his bowstring.
The short old man swung a brutally large saber that looked impractical. The movement of the blade, like that of a rampaging beast, looked intense even to Seo-un. Conversely, the woman facing him swung a sword that looked far too thin compared to the massive saber. Her movements were fluid, creating a complete contrast to the old man’s brute force.
Watching the two exchange blows without a single word, Seo-un quietly lowered his bow and focused on the fight. Even though they were swinging heavy weapons at close range, the sounds of battle were absent—a testament to their control.
‘Impressive.’
This thought was directed at the woman, whose movements were like a reed swaying in the wind. The way she dodged storm-like saber strikes at point-blank range while thrusting her sword was a marvelous acrobatic feat. Seo-un, who usually enjoyed heavy attacks similar to the old man’s, found her style fascinating.
The old man, who swung a massive saber as if it were light as a feather, was equally impressive, but the woman’s movements were more eye-catching.
In the midst of their long exchange, a sharp sound finally rang out.
Clang!
The old man’s expression crumpled as he blocked the woman’s thrust with the broad side of his blade. Seo-un could easily tell why: the old man’s form slid backward from the impact.
‘She’s not just fluid.’
If Nam Sa-gwang were here, it would have been the perfect situation to ambush them both. In particular, the woman’s sword technique was something Seo-un coveted—a style that was fluid yet possessed a powerful, heavy strike.
Seo-un drew his bowstring taut once more.
Once he began to be pushed back, the old man started focusing entirely on defense, retreating continuously. It was hard to believe he had just been unleashing such a storm of attacks. It was a natural result; the old man, who seemed to possess nothing but strength, was being overpowered in that very department.
Clang!
The moment the woman’s sword finally knocked the old man’s saber upward, Seo-un saw the old man’s hands freeze. He released the bowstring.
Whoosh—Boom!
The old man managed to swat away the pyeonjeon flying toward him in his moment of distress, but the arrow exploded upon impact, engulfing both of them in flames.
The woman emerged from the flames almost instantly, but the old man did not. As Seo-un retreated, he didn't miss the bloodstain on the tip of the woman’s sword as she vanished into the darkness.
‘She stabbed him in that split second?’
Finishing off an enemy while an explosion occurred right in front of her was not something just anyone could do.
[Ding! Buyeoryeong-Gangmuien (Kill with Sword Technique.) 138/150]
‘Her judgment is excellent too. Choosing survival immediately over greed for items.’
No one likes having their prey stolen. Nevertheless, the woman had withdrawn without a moment's hesitation.
Putting his bow back into his subspace, Seo-un cautiously approached the box that appeared after the flames subsided.
[Gale Force Great Blade Technique: The exclusive blade technique of the Cheonjilgal Gangryeong Clan.]
[Great Strength Cloud Palm, Great Strength One Finger: The exclusive palm and finger techniques of Duimu.]
[Cloud-Breaking Saber: A saber made with a significant amount of dark steel.]
Aside from consumables, those three were the only useful items.
‘Tsk. Not a single good accessory dropped.’
They must have been farming for over a day, yet the items were quite lackluster. After finishing his looting, Seo-un ran toward the Munhak Tunnel again. He stopped when he saw light leaking from the tunnel, illuminating the dark surroundings.
‘Is there a backup power source installed?’
Seo-un scanned the area with a disappointed expression. The best-case scenario would have been to strike enemies from behind while they were attempting a buff monster under the cover of darkness. However, with the tunnel being that bright, he couldn't enter while wearing the Cloak of Stealth.
‘Besides, there’s no guarantee anyone would be trying to take down a buff monster in the middle of the night anyway.’
With that thought, Seo-un spread his senses to find other prey. The night was just beginning.
Seo-un’s criteria for selecting targets were strict: there had to be no other enemies nearby, and he preferred mages over martial artists. If he made a mistake or chose an enemy he couldn't handle, the game would end right there—and his life in Cloyd would also come to a close.
It was only after midnight that he found an enemy who met those conditions.
‘To think I’d come all the way to Songdo.’
Seo-un cautiously approached an enemy wearing a robe, who emitted the clumsy energy of someone who had learned only a bit of martial arts. He stared at the enemy’s back with an indifferent gaze. The person peeking over the rooftop railing of an officetel building had no idea that the hand of death was reaching out.
With five steps left, Seo-un’s form vanished just as aura condensed at his fingertips.
Crack! Shatter!
Using Blink, his outstretched right hand shattered the enemy’s barrier into pieces. Before the startled person could even look back, his other hand crushed their head.
Crunch.
[Ding! Jin Seo-un-Coalminer. (Kill with Aura) 137/150]
One naturally becomes proficient at anything with repetition. Ambushing mages from behind when they were completely unprepared was not as difficult as he had thought.
After killing five more enemies that night, Seo-un returned to the station where he had parted with Nam Sa-gwang, feeling a sense of lingering regret.
‘If only I had more time…’
By the time he entered the station, dawn was beginning to break. Entering the deep subway tunnels, Seo-un’s brow furrowed.
‘Still?’
There was a problem if Nam Sa-gwang hadn't returned after all this time. He had thought Sa-gwang was just being delayed while killing the archer who had drawn his aggro. But too much time had passed for that to be the case.
‘What on earth happened?’
The thought that something unexpected was occurring caused the furrow in Seo-un’s brow to deepen.
Days followed where he stayed still in the dark subway tunnels during the day and went out to hunt only at night. During that time, the number of players Seo-un had killed exceeded nine. He occasionally missed mages who had set up alarm magic, and there were moments where he gave up on a hunt immediately because the enemy was stronger than expected.
As the seventh day of this round passed, there was still no news of Nam Sa-gwang.
*
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Haa… Haa… Haa…”
Nam Sa-gwang, wielding his Hand Aura, struck the circular membrane trapping him. But the membrane—different from a standard barrier—only shook and showed no sign of breaking.
“It’s no use. It’s impressive that you’re still holding out, but you won’t last long. This is Merti’s Seal. It’s a seal stone worth 200 coins. Just go to sleep quietly.”
At the words of the man carrying the strange bow, Nam Sa-gwang’s face contorted.
“What… are you planning!”
Boom!
Watching the man who told him to sleep rather than killing him, Nam Sa-gwang forced his heavy eyelids open. For some reason, as time passed, his body grew heavier, his fatigue doubled, and an unnatural sleepiness washed over him.
“Merti’s Seal is an interesting item. It transfers the sealed target’s power directly to the sealer. It takes a bit of time, but in a year at the latest, your power will be entirely mine.”
The man kindly rolled up his sleeve to show a yellow stone, identical to the seal stone trapping Sa-gwang, embedded in his forearm.
“It won’t go… the way you want.”
Withdrawing his Hand Aura, Nam Sa-gwang sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to resist the seal. He spoke defiantly, but he couldn't guarantee how much longer he could hold out.
‘Jin Seo-un… I’m in a desperate situation. Find me.’
The only person he could trust right now was Seo-un.
Watching Nam Sa-gwang resist, the man with the bow, Jesk, frowned. Ever since he obtained the seal stone, he had always stuck to the same playstyle. He played primarily in squad games and never participated in the main conflict until he had sealed the strongest enemy or teammate and absorbed all their power. Based on the power he had stolen that way, he had recently reached Crown rank, only to be summoned to this sudden forced ranked game.
‘Actually, it worked out well. I met someone like this because of it.’
*
Just as Seo-un was about to begin his nightly hunt, a notification rang out, stopping him in his tracks.
[Ding! Heavenly Demon-Nilkray (Kill with Nascent Soul.) 109/150]
Seo-un stood frozen for a long time.
‘W-Wait, kill with a Nascent Soul?’
There were only nine players left until the survival threshold. The Heavenly Demon’s current location was completely unknown. The term "Nascent Soul" felt much heavier than the name of the Rank 1 Heavenly Demon.
It was the moment his vague thought—that he might be able to scrape by if he and Nam Sa-gwang ambushed the Heavenly Demon—completely vanished.
Seo-un took out the single Teleportation Scroll from his subspace and gripped it. His palm was already slick with sweat. However, holding that scroll made him feel slightly more at ease.
‘If you have a Nascent Soul… you should just ascend quietly. Why come all the way here and play this game so desperately?’
Questions that would never be answered filled his head. Because of the Heavenly Demon, who was like a ticking time bomb that could be anywhere, Seo-un couldn't bring himself to go out and hunt.
As if to wash away his concerns about not making it into the survival bracket, notifications continued to follow.
[Ding! Heavenly Demon-Gainer (Kill with Nascent Soul.) 108/150]
[Ding! Heavenly Demon…]
.
.
.
[99/150]
The moment the string of notification sounds stopped, Seo-un slumped to the ground.
If it was a Nascent Soul, he had felt that power himself, albeit briefly. It was a power that slaughtered an overwhelming number of players as if he were the protagonist of the game. And that had been a temporary, imperfect power.
Then just how great would the power of someone who wielded a perfect Nascent Soul be? The moment he thought that, his mind went blank.
‘I can’t win.’
He had always played as if survival was his top priority, but deep down, he had aimed for the top ranks, even Rank 1. For the first time, an enemy he truly wanted to avoid had appeared.
After sitting there lost in thought for a long time, Seo-un stood up, dusted off his pants, and began to move. The anxiety that had been plastered on his face earlier had vanished.
‘I can just give up on the top ranks in this game. I might even be able to fill up on Immortal Qi.’
Seo-un’s eyes sparkled as he shifted his playstyle. He would give up the top ranks and target the Heavenly Demon’s Nascent Soul instead.