Chapter 15: When the Tiger Dies, the Fox Pack Rules
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: When the Tiger Dies, the Fox Pack Rules
It was a possibility he had considered from the moment he first began learning martial arts in this place.
Seo-un had anticipated that the compatibility and elemental nature of his current techniques might prevent him from learning others. Accepting it as unavoidable, he tucked the secret manual into his subspace and activated his map.
After studying the map for a moment, Seo-un suddenly rolled to the side, his gaze sharpening.
Boom!
A pillar of crimson fire erupted from the exact spot where he had been standing a second ago.
A mage clad in gray robes—the source of the attack—studied Seo-un for a moment before his lips curled into a sneer.
"Your instincts are sharp, but you're nothing special. I came to investigate because a Meteor fell, but this is all I find?"
The mage seemed to have already finished his evaluation of Seo-un, but Seo-un wasn't done assessing his opponent.
Glaring at the man, Seo-un spoke coldly. "What makes you say that?"
"Hmph! It’s impressive you’ve survived this long, but I’ve waded through countless bloodbaths. You don't even have a basic response prepared for a mage, and you lack the elusive movements of those from other worlds. You’re clearly low-born."
For some reason, the word "low-born" ignited a spark of rage within Seo-un.
Whether it was the man’s condescending tone or the smug expression on his face, Seo-un was momentarily swept up in a surge of irritation.
In that instant, Seo-un’s figure blurred, lunging toward the mage with incredible speed.
However, as if he had expected this, the mage raised his staff.
"Kireive! Wall!"
A thick stone wall erupted from the ground, separating Seo-un from the mage.
But Seo-un didn't stop. He sprinted up the rising wall with two quick steps and vaulted over the top, dropping down on the other side.
Whoosh!
"Tch!"
Waiting for Seo-un as he cleared the wall was the mage, who had retreated with a triumphant smirk, and a surging pillar of fire.
Even as the red flames engulfed his entire body, Seo-un felt no sense of crisis. The only thought filling his mind was the urge to snap the neck of the arrogant bastard smiling at him.
The moment his feet touched the ground amidst the flames, Seo-un’s movements became even faster as he charged forward. Though fire clung to various parts of his body, he felt no sensation of heat.
"Gah!"
Seeing Seo-un charging straight through the fire toward him, the mage gasped and thrust his staff forward. Crimson flames spewed from the red crystal ball atop the staff, reaching out for Seo-un.
At the same time, Seo-un’s fist lashed out.
Three Chapters Section 1… Straight Punch!
The massive energy seated in his Dantian surged into his arm before erupting outward through his pressure points. It was a punch thrown lightly toward the front, but the result was anything but light.
The strike instantly tore through the mass of flames blocking his path and shattered the mage's shield in a single blow. The mage was so terrified by the vanishing energy that he turned tail and began to run.
Even as he fled, the mage tried to chant a spell, but he didn't make it more than a few steps before he coughed up blood and collapsed forward.
"Cough! W-wait… I’ll give you what you want… Gack!!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Seo-un’s fist crushed his chest, killing him instantly.
"What I want is your vitality."
As expected, the moment the man died, the vitality pouring out of the corpse was sucked into Seo-un’s Dantian through his Qi Absorption Gate.
"Phew! Phew!"
Pat! Pat! Pat!
Only after the man was dead and the absorption was complete did Seo-un blow on and pat out the flames still burning on his shoulders and limbs.
"A Magic Resistance ring really is a must-have here."
He had suspected he wouldn't lose easily when he didn't feel much heat from the man's first attack. However, he hadn't expected to win quite this easily either. He had assumed that every surviving player would be a monster, like Nam Sa-gwang or the mages he had fought before.
"Well, the one who survives is the one who's strong."
In terms of pure strength, Jang Do-cheon would have undoubtedly been ranked first. Yet, he had been eliminated before even reaching the Top 10.
Seo-un shook his head as he sensed subtle presences beyond the dust clouds that had yet to settle.
They’re coming out of the woodwork now that Nam Sa-gwang is dead.
When that madman Nam Sa-gwang was hunting, everyone had been so quiet he wondered if there were even any players left. Now that he was gone, they were moving so boldly it made Seo-un uncomfortable.
Sensing that this unpleasant night was going to be a long one, Seo-un moved on without even stopping to farm items. Even as he moved restlessly, he didn't forget to check the Survivor List.
.
.
.
Jin Seo-un -> Jihak (Kill by Fist)
After traveling for a while while monitoring the map, Seo-un pulled a scroll from his subspace, tore it, and shouted.
"Activate!"
Instantly, the flow of mana began to distort in all directions from where the scroll had been torn. Seo-un quickly left the area and climbed to the top of a giant tree that had managed to stay standing.
Silently catching his breath, he looked back at the ruined forest where the thick dust had yet to fully settle. Visibility was much better than before, at least.
It didn't take long before a shout echoed near the tree where Seo-un was hiding.
"Hey! Jin Seo-un! Don't run away, let's play!"
It was a massive man in a strange outfit—wearing armor but missing the breastplate and helmet, with a giant bastard sword slung over his shoulder. Whether it was overconfidence or something else, the man approached with his massive pectoral muscles exposed. Seo-un had no intention of responding and simply watched him.
The man had managed to head in the right direction to get this far, but Seo-un’s cloak was more than enough to keep him hidden, especially at night.
"You're a man, aren't you? Jihak was a pretty decent mage. Unless your junk shriveled up and turned you into a eunuch, come out like a man!"
While Jihak’s "low-born" comment had momentarily paralyzed his reason, Seo-un remained indifferent to this man’s blatant provocation. He had zero desire to play along and draw the attention of other players swarming the area.
You idiot. Screaming like that only puts you at a disadvantage.
Just as Seo-un thought, it wasn't long before arrows began raining down on the loitering man. They were fired in rapid succession, as if multiple people were shooting at once.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
Despite his clumsy-looking bulk, the man used his massive bastard sword as a shield, blocking every single arrow. The volley of arrows soon ceased.
"Jin Seo-un! You think you can kill me with pathetic arrows like that?"
Swish! Thud!
As the man prepared to lunge toward the direction the arrows had come from, a single arrow flew in with a terrifying sound. He stopped in his tracks and raised his bastard sword like a shield once more.
Even though he blocked the arrow with the thick flat of the blade, the man was pushed back nearly two meters before he could finally steady his sword.
What was that?
Seo-un’s eyes filled with curiosity.
Swish! Thud!
This time, an arrow flew from a completely different direction. The man, now fully on guard, barely managed to block it. As he was pushed back again, the man gritted his teeth and roared.
"Jurokuana!! Is that you?!"
"Hehe. Yes, it's me. I didn't expect to run into you in a place like this."
The archer, seemingly confident, appeared before the man without even nocking an arrow.
"Dammit! I have no business with you! I'm trying to catch that Jin Seo-un guy—"
"You think you're the only one targeting the guy who killed Nam Sa-gwang? Hehe. You didn't make a peep while he was alive, but now that he's dead, are you trying to imitate him?"
"Look who's talking! You were hiding too while he was hunting players, weren't you? That's the only reason you're still alive!"
"The goal of this game is to survive, so of course. Fighting someone stronger than me isn't the objective."
"Jurokuana. There's no need for us to fight here, is there? That Jin Seo-un guy must have taken Nam Sa-gwang's main items. If we catch him—"
"And share the spoils with you? You think I'd trust a man with the infamous reputation of 'Koran's Silver Tongue'?"
The man pounded his chest in frustration.
"You idiot! Honor and all that crap are useless here! Only stronger items matter—"
Swish! Thud!
Without even listening to the end of the man's sentence, the archer fired an arrow and spoke as he nocked another.
"Do I look like a fool to you? And… do I look like someone who has forgotten honor so much that I would join hands with my brother's murderer!!!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Seo-un watched, mesmerized by the archer's divine skill. The speed of his rapid fire was incredible, but the man wasn't simply shooting arrows at his enemy.
Even with a massive opponent in front of him, he was firing arrows in various directions—to the sides and even upward. The arrows fired in seemingly random directions miraculously curved gracefully, swarming the bulky man from the left, right, and behind.
The arrows that flew out of sight into the lingering dust and then struck back in were particularly threatening, even to Seo-un’s eyes.
And why the hell isn't that quiver running out?
Arrows kept emerging endlessly from a small, worn-out quiver that looked like it could barely hold ten. As he watched the archer's near-miraculous skill, Seo-un’s eyes twitched.
Amidst the archer's incredibly fast and fluid movements, he spotted an arrow with a slightly different colored tip. The arrow fired high into the air performed a sharp, miraculous curve, dropping straight down onto the head of the man who was swinging his bastard sword like a shield.
And the moment the man blocked that arrow—
Kaboom!
The arrow exploded, releasing immense pressure. Caught in the blast, the bulky man rolled across the ground, clutching a broken arm. Before he could recover, the archer was already standing before him, aiming his bow at point-blank range.
"Goodbye. The day will come soon when I cut your throat in reality as well."
Thwack!
With the sound of the impact, the massive man was killed instantly as an arrow pierced his eye at close range.
As the vitality erupted from the dying man, Seo-un released all his energy to draw it in. From his position in the tree, Seo-un released his energy and struggled to pull up the vitality of the man who had died directly beneath him. He successfully absorbed the vitality completely through his Qi Absorption Gate.
The archer, who was opening a wooden box to check the items, looked up as if he felt something strange. However, even with his sharp vision, he couldn't see any sign of an enemy in the tree.
After taking the items from the box, the archer glanced around once more and left the area with light, agile movements. Seo-un emerged from the shadows and watched the direction the man had disappeared.
"He’s got good instincts."
Seo-un looked down at the box the man had rummaged through and then leaped away in a different direction.