Chapter 148: The Skill of a Crown
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 148: The Skill of a Crown
“Retreat! Fall back for now!”
“Teleport Scrolls! Everyone who has one, use it!”
As expected of players with a certain level of skill, their situational awareness and battlefield judgment were sharp. The moment their formation crumbled and their backline mages were exposed, the enemies immediately pivoted toward retreat and survival.
Across the battlefield, about twenty players escaped using teleportation, while the rest turned tail and fled desperately.
Of course, Seo-un was not so naive as to let them go easily.
He used Blink to chase down the scattering enemies, severing heads from bodies in a blur of motion. Meanwhile, Gi-chan and Juriel stepped to the front, raining down status-effect magic. Thanks to their coordination, the majority of the enemies were wiped out.
Once the cleanup was finished, the look in Verus’s eyes shifted strangely. He drew his sword and approached Seo-un. Suddenly, his figure shot forward like a streak of light, lunging toward the direction where Seo-un had first appeared.
Just as he was about to cleave a black German sedan in two with his blade, Seo-un materialized in front of the sword.
Clang!
The collision of Aura and Sword Qi ended with a light metallic ring. Verus’s eyes narrowed. He had been watching Seo-un’s performance, but the man had reached a level entirely different from when they had last met.
“You surprise me every time we meet. But why did you block me?”
“He’s a Helper on our side.”
At Seo-un’s words, Gi-chan, Li Lingwei, and even Juriel were startled. They had heard that a Helper would be attached to them, but because they had moved so quickly and things had gone sideways, they assumed the rendezvous had failed.
At that moment, a man shimmered into view, emerging from the shadows cast by the sedan. The bulky man, wearing a black military uniform, combat boots, and a three-hole balaclava, spoke up.
“I apologize for being discovered.”
Seo-un had noticed him approaching when they first entered the map, but since the man hadn't revealed himself, Seo-un hadn't bothered to acknowledge him. He figured the man would just follow behind during combat and handle the farming, so there was no need to pay him much mind.
However, because they had moved so rapidly toward the Khartz situation, the man had only just arrived and had apparently been caught by Verus’s senses.
“There’s no helping it if the opponent is this guy,” the man added.
There weren't many ability users capable of hiding from a Crown-rank Sword Emperor without using a Cloak of Stealth in the middle of the night.
“Go ahead and farm. We killed about… half of them.”
At Seo-un’s words, the man moved with an agility that belied his massive frame. He slipped among the fallen players and began farming Blue Coins first.
Watching this, Skus approached. “He’s thorough. I guess even if you’re not a player, a game is still a game?”
“He’s participating in the game as an Epic Mob. He’s got to take what he can get.”
Finishing his sentence, Seo-un turned a shabby sack upside down, sweeping the cascading items into his Subspace.
“The fact that you two are here means the Madman of the Battlefield is nearby, right?”
Verus grimaced as Seo-un spoke without even looking at him. “Other empires might call him that, but we don't particularly care for that title.”
“I don't see why I, someone from another dimension, should care what you like.”
“He seems to quite like it himself, though?”
When Seo-un spoke nonchalantly, the brothers were left speechless. In truth, that was the biggest problem. Senrurk was not a king who cared even a lick about public opinion. To royalty, there were etiquettes to uphold and a royal path to follow.
However, their king, Senrurk, had abolished any traditional law if he deemed it even slightly inefficient or lacking in practical benefit. That tendency had worsened since the start of the Imperial War, and he had violated numerous international laws of war between empires just to secure victory.
It was from that point that other empires began calling Senrurk the "Madman of the Battlefield." Of course, there were more than a few nobles who had served the royal family for a long time who called him that as well. As his closest confidants and loyal subjects, the brothers found it distasteful.
“Where is the Madman?”
Verus answered Seo-un’s question, filling the silence left by his speechless brother.
“Our Lord is moving near Beverly Hills, commanding local skirmishes against the enemy. We’ve confirmed that the bastards have gathered in one place for some reason, but they’re avoiding direct confrontation and playing it safe. We’re operating around Beverly Hills, where there are many refugees, to check if they’re moving to other areas to hunt civilians.”
Hearing their words, Seo-un shared the information he had gathered, his eyes sinking deep with gravity. As he recounted what he had heard from Quad, the Sisul tribe shaman, the brothers’ expressions contorted violently.
“Khartz?!”
“If three Meteors were to fall…” Skus trailed off, activating his map to gauge the size of Beverly Hills. “Beverly Hills will be turned to ash. Not a single person inside will survive.”
Verus spoke with a look of disbelief. “But Smoke Vision? It’s not a certainty.”
Skus shook his head at Verus’s remark. “If it were just that information, I wouldn't care either. The problem is that the enemies' inexplicable movements make perfect sense if you connect them to Khartz.”
Initially, when they began hunting players hostile to civilians centered around Senrurk, the enemies had scattered in all directions to avoid them while continuing their civilian hunt. The fact that the skirmishes, which had naturally been occurring all over LA, were now concentrated near Beverly Hills was purely a result of reacting to the enemy players' movements.
“I knew they were up to something, but to think it was Khartz… I’ll inform the Lord immediately.”
While Verus focused on the Team Voice Chat, Skus looked at Seo-un. “We’re both Crowns, so what’s the secret? The simple coin gap shouldn't be that large.”
When Skus asked for the secret behind his rapid growth, Seo-un answered calmly. “It’s likely the difference in playstyle.”
Skus didn't quite understand, but there was nothing more Seo-un could tell him. Throughout his time playing, he hadn't won by simply playing a survival game. He always predicted the game’s intent, thought ahead to the next game, and unhesitatingly challenged fights that others would avoid for the sake of survival.
Through those battles, he obtained items others couldn't even dream of. Those things had accumulated one by one to make him who he was today. Since he had neither the loyalty nor the time to sit down and explain all of that, that single sentence was all he could offer.
Verus, who had been busy with the voice chat, looked at Seo-un. “Can you predict the enemy’s locations?”
Seo-un pointed out the locations based on the pings on his map. As the brothers heard all five locations, their faces crumpled simultaneously. The locations Seo-un provided matched perfectly with certain heavily fortified areas they had recently encountered.
The probability that the Sisul shaman’s Smoke Vision was correct had just skyrocketed.
“Tell the Madman. I’ll take care of the two nearby locations, so have him focus on the remaining three.”
Having said that, Seo-un left the two behind and moved out with his teammates. The Helper, having finished his farming, began to follow the four of them stealthily.
Taking out the earphones he had stored in his Subspace and putting them in his ears, Seo-un spoke as he ran along the road clogged with abandoned cars.
“Can you hear me?”
—Yes. Go ahead.
“The situation right now is…”
Even after Seo-un finished speaking, there was no response from the other side for a while.
—…So, you’re saying a wide-area spell called Meteor is going to fall on Beverly Hills?
“Yes. It’s almost certain. We’ll do our best to stop it, but I can't guarantee we’ll succeed.”
—This is Sanderson Miller, commander of the Control Tower. I will confirm once more. Is it correct that the enemy is attempting a magic powerful enough to annihilate Beverly Hills?
Seo-un spoke through the translation system. “I can't be 100% sure, but looking at various circumstances, many things line up. I’m about to arrive at their first casting site. I’ll know for sure once I get there.”
—Understood. Please let us know once the situation is confirmed. We will do everything in our power to support you.
The conversation ended as the group came to a halt, led by Seo-un. As their gaze focused on a high-rise building in the distance, Gi-chan’s eyes turned green.
“This is strange. Mana activity is high, but I don't sense any human presence at all. There’s likely a high-level Illusion magic in place.”
“That just makes it… more certain.”
As he finished speaking, Seo-un’s left eye began to turn blood-red. When he closed his right eye, the rooftop of the building came into view. He saw dozens of mages standing atop a complex pentagram magic circle engraved with intricate characters on the floor.
Having confirmed their presence, Seo-un’s eyes returned to normal. “It’s certain. They’re on the roof.”
Juriel’s expression darkened. Deep down, she had hoped the Smoke Vision would be wrong. “Are we… attacking right away?”
At Gi-chan’s question, Seo-un looked around and nodded. “Since it’s a major objective, there’s no telling how many are waiting behind the illusion. Watch your lives.”
As Seo-un finished speaking, Li Lingwei took out a trump-card poison she hadn't used earlier and downed it. Juriel also pulled out an item she had gotten from a vending machine but hadn't tried yet. As soon as the green doll was attached to Juriel’s shoulder, it opened its eyes and began mumbling a chant. It looked similar to the Chatterbox Dolls Seo-un had seen before.
Once preparations were complete, Gi-chan fired the electricity gathered in both hands toward the front.
Crackle! BOOM!
The space in front of them seemed to crack. As soon as the cracks spread, the space shattered like a mirror, revealing about twenty players. At the very front, a player carrying a ridiculously large sword—bigger than his own body—on his shoulder spoke with a relaxed expression.
“I thought the Devil Twins would show up. But a big fish walked right in.”
Beside him, a witch with a crystal ball floating in front of her licked her lips and smiled. “Epic Monster and 5th rank Crown, Jin Seo-un. You’re younger than I thought.”
At the sight of her winking, Li Lingwei’s aura surged violently. Already boiling with toxicity from the poison she had consumed, a black energy visible to the naked eye writhed around her. It looked as if black snakes were coiling around her, creating a sense of dissonance just by looking at it.
Aside from those two, the other players didn't seem particularly tense either. Seeing them so confident in their skills, Seo-un spoke.
“Only twenty of them. Can the three of you handle it?”
Juriel spoke up, making sure she was heard. “With those numbers, it’s not a problem.”
“Gi-chan and I are enough. Juriel doesn't even need to step in.”
At the two women’s words, Gi-chan gave a slightly awkward smile. “Still, a Quad with a witch is unsettling. Let’s not get excited, just clear them out slowly and head up, okay?”
Seo-un shook his head. “We don't have time to play around with these guys. Finish them quickly.”
As he finished speaking, a wire shot from Seo-un’s back, instantly anchoring to the top of the high-rise, and his body was pulled upward. Gi-chan let out a sigh and shook his head as he looked at the witch.
“I really hate witches.”
Infuriated by their behavior—acting as if they didn't even matter—the twenty players snarled and charged forward. Among them, three martial artists and one knight followed Seo-un, scaling the exterior wall of the building.
As Seo-un ascended toward the roof relying on the wire, a whip suddenly appeared in his hand.
Whish!
The players scaling the wall behind him smirked as they dodged the whip that lashed out like a snake. As if waiting for Seo-un’s next attack, thinking this was all he had, a sharp female scream suddenly rang out.
“Aaaaah! Protect me properly!”
The four players’ confident expressions vanished instantly as they saw the witch being pulled up toward Seo-un, the whip coiled around her waist. As they desperately chased after Seo-un, firing sword qi, hidden weapons, and spears, the witch’s corpse—with its head and limbs severed—fell past them.
“Dammit!”
The gruesome sight of a comrade’s body being torn into pieces with just a clench of a hand sent waves of fury through their eyes.
“Watch out for his whip! He has a skill that pulls you in so you can't resist!”
Ignoring their belated shouts, Seo-un’s figure vaulted onto the rooftop, just as five spears flew toward him.
Clang!
Seo-un’s body was pushed back as he blocked the five black spears—which had pierced his barrier—with the Aura extended from his crossed arms. The hidden enemies, who hadn't been visible even with Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils, twisted their lips into a smirk after completing their surprise attack.
Since they had pushed him back, they likely thought Seo-un would fall to the ground unless he had the ability to fly. However, as he was being pushed back, a wire shot from Seo-un’s back toward them, and his body lunged forward at the same time.
Skreeee!
Seo-un’s eyes narrowed as he saw the five players hold their ground against his Aura. They were certainly a bit better than the players he had faced so far. As he prepared his next attack while observing the knights, four more players leaped up behind him, thrusting their weapons toward his back.
In perfect synchronization, the five spearmen from the front dashed toward him.
Whoosh!
Flames suddenly erupted from Seo-un’s fist, obscuring their vision and sweeping toward them. The knights quickly scattered and retreated. In the brief moment they waited for the unusual flames to dissipate, a series of sickening noises reached their ears.
Crack! Crunch! Slice! Squelch!
As the flames vanished, the expressions of the knights who were about to resume their attack froze. Four executives with significant influence within their guild had been taken down by Seo-un in a mere heartbeat and were now lying on the floor. They couldn't help but be bewildered.
“Wh-what kind of Epic Monster is this?!”
Their guild leader was a famous mercenary captain from the continent of Deinon—a Sword Emperor and a Crown ranker. And two of the four players Seo-un had just killed were that guild leader’s right and left hands, prospective Crowns ranked as White Swords. They had never imagined there would be such a gap in skill that Seo-un could kill such people so quickly.
“Get it together! Support will be up from below soon. Just hold out somehow!”
That was right. There were only four enemies after all. The Shield of Dolask was an absolute shield with the property of being indestructible. They were confident they could hold out against any powerful foe as long as they hid behind it.
The five knights holding the Shields of Dolask narrowed their eyes, their spear tips glowing with a red-hot Aura.
Ignoring them, Seo-un focused on the mages who were sweating profusely and chanting like fanatics. The sight of the mana waves they generated surging endlessly into the sky made him feel that he had to stop them immediately.
Seeing Seo-un’s gaze, the knights stepped in front of the mages to protect them. The moment Seo-un took a step toward the knights, his figure began to multiply. Before he had even taken a few steps, their eyes shook as they saw twelve Seo-uns.
Squelch!
Five streaks of Aura slammed into the back of a knight who had been pressing his body against his shield and thrusting his spear at the Seo-un charging from the front. If the shield was sturdy, he simply had to bypass it and attack.
Seeing their comrade lose his life so easily, the remaining knights lunged at Seo-un, but they couldn't buy any time against him as he executed Muryeong Phantom Step to its peak.
Relying on items only worked when you had better gear than your opponent. Since they were far outclassed in both skill and items, they were never a match for Seo-un to begin with. The last remaining knight, unable to figure out which of the eight Seo-uns lunging from all sides to defend against, was decapitated while flailing in confusion.
As soon as the last one was dead, Seo-un charged toward the mages who were oblivious to their surroundings, focused entirely on Khartz. Under the red glow of the setting sun, the mages were helplessly slaughtered by Seo-un, spraying even redder blood. The blood of those who were sliced apart by Aura without being able to mount a proper counterattack began to fill the rooftop.
Just as he was about to throw himself off the building, Gi-chan’s voice came through the Team Voice Chat.
—Cleanup is finished here.
At those words, Seo-un immediately put his earphone back in. “It’s me. Khartz has been confirmed.”
—…Understood. We are preparing Patriot missiles. Just in case, we plan to use interceptor missiles to counter the magic called Meteor.
Seo-un fell into thought. It wasn't easy to be certain whether Patriot missiles could stop a Meteor. However, he concluded that it was better than having no defense at all.
“Understood. We’ll move to the next area under the cover of night. The remaining three areas will likely be attacked by friendly players on this side.”
—Yes. We’re counting on you, Mr. Jin Seo-un. Also, one squad of Alpha Force agents from the 5th wave of deployment is scheduled to land nearby soon to assist your team.
“What? That’s not necessary. If you have the manpower, it’s better to deploy them for search and rescue.”
—They’ve already started their jump… If they’re not helpful, we’ll assign them to a separate operation after you make contact.
Just as he was wondering about the jump, he saw people streaking through the sky. Gliding like a flock of migratory birds, their wingsuits making them look like flying squirrels, they were weaving in and out between the high-rise buildings.
Seeing them descending in special suits often seen in movies, he looked up at the sky again, but no plane was in sight. Just how high did they jump from? It looked as if they had jumped from outside LA and were flying in.
The nine squad members circled the building Seo-un was on and glided toward the ground. Watching them, who didn't even seem to be wearing parachutes, Seo-un leaped from the rooftop.
Thud!
Landing on the ground with a heavy sound, Seo-un watched the agents as they landed with aggressive rolls. As soon as the nine agents landed, they quickly shed their suits and ran toward Seo-un.
“I’m Seven, leader of White Force B-team. My Korean isn't great, but I look forward to working with you.”
As he spoke, he looked around at the bloodstains on the ground and the empty pavement. Noticing the Helper who was busy farming, he continued. “Looks like there was a battle. A shame. If only we’d arrived a little sooner.”
Looking at the agents, Seo-un spoke. “I’ve heard the story. I don't think we really need your help, so please move to search and rescue.”
At those words, the expressions of Seven and his team members, who had been intently watching the items the Helper was picking up, began to sour visibly.