Chapter 149: Coin-Crazy?!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 149: Coin-Crazy?!
“We are on a completely different level from ordinary Stockpiles.”
Seven, a man in his early thirties with short blonde hair who embodied the quintessential American image, spoke with thick pride etched across his face. The eight men standing behind him shared the same arrogant expression.
The ones on a different level are the two women right here, Seo-un thought.
The quip nearly escaped his throat, but the Alpha Force agents looked so dead serious that he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.
“Sigh.”
At Gi-chan’s sigh, the agents’ gazes, which had been focused on Seo-un, snapped toward him in an instant. Seeing their overtly prickly expressions, Seo-un decided it was best to set things straight.
“Look, you ‘different level’ Stockpiles—”
Before Seo-un could finish his sentence, the man and his agents suddenly crouched low. Of course, Seo-un’s party reacted even faster.
Gi-chan and Juriel stepped forward, deploying a Barrier to protect the Helper who was still busy farming items. Li Lingwei took a defensive position to cover the two of them, staying alert for enemies from other directions.
Meanwhile, Seo-un threw himself toward the hundreds of flaming arrows flying their way.
Whoosh!
Thanks to his high Agility, Seo-un could momentarily predict the trajectory of the incoming projectiles. Among the hundreds of Fire Arrows, those that posed a threat to his team were sliced apart in mid-air by his Nature Aura and vanished.
His teammates weren't the type to be injured by mere Fire Arrows, but Seo-un had lunged forward to draw the enemy's fire. Drawing the enemy's attacks to himself to give his teammates room to maneuver was a tactic that had become second nature to him through countless Squad Games.
The agents’ eyes widened as they watched Seo-un—the man who had been talking back to them just moments ago—spin around the second he sensed the mana fluctuations to intercept the Fire Arrows.
On a different level from other Stockpiles.
Perhaps their boast wasn't entirely empty. Unlike ordinary Stockpiles who learned their abilities through simple study, these men had integrated their powers with maximum efficiency through national support and a systematic training curriculum.
They wore items that boosted various stats, received direct instruction from high-ranking active Players, and were supplied with numerous items necessary for growth. The existence of artificial elixirs, created after hundreds of failed experiments in secret American laboratories, had accelerated their growth even further.
In fact, their win rate in mock battles against active Players was quite high. The years of training leading up to this moment had been a repetition of grueling days and bone-shaving pain, requiring them to sacrifice many of the basic rights guaranteed to humans. The power they gained through that process was the reason they felt such immense pride in the name Alpha Force.
But… it was supposed to be enough. Then what is this gap?!
According to what they had been taught, while a difference in skill existed between Ranks, it wasn't supposed to be enough to overcome overwhelming numbers. They knew that Jin Seo-un, the leader of the group they were supporting, was a Crown Rank. However, they believed that the nine of them together would surely equal the strength of one Jin Seo-un.
A greenhorn who had been a Player for barely six months.
The pride in the hearts of these men—who had awakened to Cloyd and undergone hellish training years before he even became a Player—began to crumble bit by bit.
“L-Leader! Look over there…”
Seven, who had been staring at Seo-un’s back, looked in the direction his teammate pointed. There, he saw the Helper agent, completely indifferent to the surrounding chaos, still pulling items from the ground.
“J-Just how much is he farming?! How many people died here?!”
“It… it looks like it’s easily over ten.”
Watching the Helper agent focused calmly on item farming and Seo-un flying around like Spider-Man through a barrage of magic to hunt down enemies, the agents found themselves unable to even lift a finger.
Overwhelming.
The word had never hit home so forcefully.
Clang… Clang…
Just then, a Player appeared, dragging a unique War Hammer with a long handle across the ground. The sheer presence of this lone enemy made Juriel, Li Lingwei, and Gi-chan stiffen.
Seo-un also stopped his hunt for the mages who were firing spells from Stealth and flew back to stand in front of his teammates, blocking the enemy’s path. Judging by his presence alone, this was no ordinary Player.
“A definite Crown. And a fairly high-ranking one at that.”
“Well, I’m not as good as you. But you certainly caused quite a stir. An Epic Monster… you messed up my plans. The bastards you killed were essential forces for the battles to come.”
The man smiled as he pointed his weapon at Seo-un. It was a peculiar War Hammer—one side was a hammer, the other an axe blade, with a sharp spear-like point at the top.
“Still, killing you should be a sufficient profit.”
The moment he finished speaking, his weapon was wreathed in blue flames, and both men’s figures blurred.
Clang! Clang!
The man’s attacks flowed naturally, thrusting like a spear, slashing like an axe, and crushing like a hammer. Even seeing Seo-un block him with ten streaks of Nature Aura, the man didn't seem intimidated in the least. It appeared he had significant experience fighting martial artists who used Aura.
Boom!
Seeing Seo-un counterattack without retreating an inch, the man took a slight step back. The moment he slammed his hammer into the ground, the earth flipped over with a brilliant flash of light.
Seo-un used Thousand Pound Drop to withstand the intense repulsive force that threatened to blow his body backward. His feet naturally crushed the ground as they dug in.
The man’s brow furrowed as he watched Seo-un resist his skill. Usually, when he used this skill, most enemies lost their balance and were sent flying, exposing a fatal opening. He would have praised an opponent just for maintaining their balance while being pushed back, but seeing someone withstand it through sheer strength made his stomach churn.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Seo-un narrowed his eyes as he watched the man charge, rapidly striking the ground.
What is he thinking?
There was no way he was slamming the hammer into the ground for no reason.
Whoosh—Thud!
The moment the man’s hammer—having struck the ground three times—collided with Seo-un’s Aura, Seo-un was slid backward by an irresistible force. His expression crumpled as his buried feet plowed through the earth.
Psh-t! Psh-t!
Wires suddenly shot out from Seo-un’s back and anchored themselves deep into the ground, finally bringing his body to a halt.
“Interesting skill.”
At Seo-un’s remark, the man curled one side of his mouth.
“You’re the one with the interesting things attached to your back.”
The Warrior’s Hammer—forged from zero-impurity Orichalcum by Gairon, the greatest Dwarf of Dainon, and enchanted by the alchemist Detaron. It was an item that cost a staggering 300 Coins.
The special skill imbued in the hammer, ‘One Shot of Shooting,’ packed the power of the previous three strikes and an irresistible push into the fourth consecutive attack. Once it hit, even a Dragon would have no choice but to be pushed back.
Crack.
As Seo-un, who had blocked the attack, lightly rotated his wrist, the sound of a misaligned bone snapping back into place echoed. Facing a powerful foe for the first time in a while, Seo-un’s heart began to thrum with a pleasant excitement.
A fight against a strong enemy carried risks, but the rewards for victory were equally great.
He should have quite a few useful accessories.
Having sized up his opponent, Seo-un began to raise his momentum in earnest. As he naturally brushed his hair back, his fingers gripping a few strands, the man’s expression suddenly contorted.
“Leader!”
At that moment, a mage urgently appeared behind the man and shouted.
“Jin Seo-un. Today isn't the day. We’ll meet again. I’ll be sure to collect the Coins on your head next time.”
As the man tried to retreat, Seo-un stuck to him like glue.
Not on my watch.
He might have come as he pleased to show off his weapon, but Seo-un had no intention of letting him leave just as easily. Seeing Seo-un closing in, the man began to drum the ground with his hammer again.
Rumble! Whoosh!
Unlike before, he struck the ground rapidly without much force. The moment he swung the hammer at Seo-un with a twisted smirk, the hammer passed right over Seo-un’s defensive arms.
Whoosh!
The hammer passed through as Seo-un’s figure vanished like a mirage. The man quickly pulled the hammer handle toward his flank.
Clang!
Seo-un, who had used Muryeong Phantom Step to instantly penetrate the man’s blind spot, was about to unleash a flurry of strikes when the man’s figure vanished from right in front of him.
The moment the man disappeared, Seo-un took a defensive stance and searched for him. Gi-chan immediately provided a briefing.
—140! It’s a Blink!
The man appeared beside three mages who were actively engaged in a magical duel with Gi-chan and Juriel. He waved a hand at Seo-un.
“See you next time.”
Seo-un frowned as he watched the man vanish after tearing a scroll.
“Hyung!”
Gi-chan approached and offered a scroll, looking at Seo-un’s swollen wrist.
“It’s fine, this much is nothing.”
“That was Roy Millan, the leader of the Blood Sand Mercenary Group. Also known as the Master of the Desert.”
At Juriel’s words, Seo-un tilted his head.
“Master of the Desert?”
“He’s the one who founded the Blood Sand Mercenary Group with nothing but a single weapon in the Red Desert, a place crawling with powerful monsters. He’s made a name for himself by participating in major wars and playing a decisive role in their outcomes.”
Seo-un nodded as he listened to her explanation.
“His skills were certainly the real deal. His martial arts were impressive, and his Aura wasn't soft either. If anything, he was stronger than the Devil Twins, not weaker.”
Gi-chan nodded at Seo-un’s assessment.
“The mages he brought along were quite something too.”
“That guy is likely the one leading the Khartz,” Li Lingwei added.
Seo-un nodded.
“Let’s move for now. We’ll clear the second location and then find a way to contact Gwang-gun.”
As Seo-un prepared to move, he glanced at the White Force agents standing blankly to the side.
“Well, since this is the situation… focus on life-saving efforts. Against the enemies we’re fighting, you’ll be more of a hindrance than a help.”
At Seo-un’s words, Seven and his agents couldn't muster the same indignant expressions as before. Having witnessed the clear difference in skill with their own eyes, they couldn't persist any further.
They had come with expectations of farming decent items after hearing there was a Helper in the game, but now they turned away with slumped shoulders. Gi-chan watched them leave for a moment before hopping onto his Air Board.
—Those guys are useless. Firefighters with a sense of duty would be much more helpful, even without abilities.
—Even guys like that are needed in a situation like this. More importantly, everyone, get them out.
At the order, everyone pulled their Cloaks of Stealth from their subspaces and put them on. Seo-un’s location was already clearly visible on the map, but there was still a distinct difference between being cloaked and not.
—They’ll definitely be checking us this time.
Seo-un nodded at Juriel’s remark.
—True, but the fact that he retreated so suddenly means something unexpected happened. Gwang-gun probably made a move. This might be easier than expected.
*
Whoosh.
White smoke rose from various places amidst the fading fireballs. Senrurk and a group of people were facing off with a half-collapsed building between them.
“Cough! You certainly came prepared.”
Senrurk’s face was pale as he looked back at his fallen, bleeding allies.
“Hey. Isn't this a bit much, even for a Crown? That was a Hell Fire Scroll. You shouldn't be standing so tall after being swept up in Hellfire!”
The man spoke playfully, as if victory was already in his grasp. Seeing the man’s smirk, Senrurk tore off his half-crushed, uncomfortable helmet and threw it aside. At the same time, red blood stained his flowing long silver hair.
Gripping a single rapier tightly, he caught his breath and stared at the approaching enemies. Just a moment ago, he had thought there were only about a hundred of them, but now that his allies had been wiped out, that number felt overwhelming.
In particular, the seven enemies approaching at the front with fishy smiles were opponents he couldn't easily guarantee victory against in his current condition.
“Blood Sand.”
The man at the front shrugged as he met Senrurk’s cold gaze.
“Don’t be like that. You know well enough that we’re mercenaries who move for money. We don’t put emotions into a fight. We only seek out battles that are profitable.”
The moment he finished speaking and drew his chainsword, four people appeared on the scene.
“My Lord!”
Two knights and two mages came rushing in, shouting as they appeared from the air. They were the Devil Twins and the Court Mages who had been with Senrurk on every battlefield.
Clang!
“Area Heal!”
One mage slammed a long staff into the ground and tossed a Highest Grade Mana Stone into the air. Simultaneously, a powerful blue ripple spread out from him. Players who had been sprawled across the ground, waiting for their imminent deaths, were brought back from the brink within the ripple.
Sensing the recovery power within the ripple, Senrurk also began to heal rapidly.
“Push them back!”
Seeing this, the enemies charged forward.
*
“Are you ready?”
A response came through the earphone to Seo-un’s question.
—Yes. Just give the word.
Having received confirmation, Seo-un looked back at his teammates hiding in the dark alley, avoiding the streetlight. The moment all three nodded, Seo-un spoke.
“Cut it.”
As soon as he spoke, the power to the surrounding area was cut, and complete darkness descended.
Rumble—Boom!
At the same time, the Earth Strike cast by Gi-chan shattered the Illusion magic that had been shrouding the skyscraper. As soon as the Illusion broke, several orbs of light shot into the air, illuminating the surroundings.
Pop-pop-pop!
However, the spheres of light were destroyed by Juriel’s Shadow Arrows as soon as they appeared.
“Don’t panic! Watch the map! He’s nearby!”
Ignoring the shouts, Seo-un was already firing a wire toward the roof of the building.
—Wait! It’s a trap!—
As Seo-un was flying toward the roof, he heard Hamit’s warning and hastily retracted the wire. The moment his feet touched the exterior wall, the dark sky lit up with an intense mana fluctuation, and pure white flames began to rain down.
KABOOM!!!
“Everyone, get away! It’s Hellfire!”
Juriel retreated quickly, deploying multiple layers of Barriers, and Gi-chan joined her. Li Lingwei, who was retreating with them, saw Seo-un illuminated by the massive white flames falling against the building’s wall and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Jin Seo-un!!!”
The heat of the white flames was so intense that it could be felt even where Li Lingwei stood, as they smashed through the roof and every floor of the building Seo-un was clinging to.
“No!”
Juriel instinctively grabbed Li Lingwei by the waist, holding her back as she tried to rush toward Seo-un. Gi-chan gnashed his teeth as he watched the enemies vanish en masse, tearing scrolls amidst the falling Hellfire.