Chapter 28: The Correct Way to Handle a Pincer Attack
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: The Correct Way to Handle a Pincer Attack
[Ding! You have obtained the Cloak of Stealth.]
[Ding! You have obtained a Jeokgong Pill.]
[Ding! You have obtained a 4th Circle Stone.]
[Ding! You have obtained a Wind Blade Grimoire.]
[Ding! You have obtained the Cloud Soaring Step Secret Manual.]
Seo-un quickly snatched up the five lucrative items. He kept the cloak out and swept everything else into his subspace.
[Your current location is being revealed.]
The moment the message appeared, a pillar of crimson light erupted from above his head, piercing the sky. Though it vanished after a brief moment, that beacon—soaring high enough to pierce the clouds—would be impossible to miss for enemies nearby, or even those far away.
“Six hours. I have to survive somehow.”
These weren't just any items. Judging by their names alone, the elixir and the 4th Circle Stone were on a completely different level than the basic nutrients he had scavenged before. He couldn't afford to die before he even got a chance to use them.
‘Ah!’
As he sprinted away, a thought struck him. He pulled the secret manual out of his subspace and learned it on the fly. Fortunately, there were no special requirements. The moment the knowledge took root, his footwork fell into a rhythmic cadence, and his speed surged.
‘Running like a cloud.’
As the essence of the Cloud Soaring Step filled his mind, Seo-un mastered the lightness technique, making his body feel as light as a drifting mist. A smirk played on his lips.
For the first thirty minutes, he managed to move without encountering any threats. He had consumed a fair amount of internal power, but the Cloud Soaring Step allowed him to conserve a great deal of energy while maintaining high speed.
[Your second location is being revealed.]
Whoosh!
The real trouble began after the second light was fired. Not long after the pillar shot up, countless orbs of light began raining down toward him. Like a lethal firework display, small orbs of light streaked through the midday air and plummeted toward the earth.
Pop! Pop-pop-pop!
They weren't incredibly powerful, but Seo-un gritted his teeth as the orbs saturated the surrounding space, exploding upon impact with the ground.
“Damn it!”
Looking up, he saw the same magic being cast incessantly.
‘They’re trying to pin me down.’
The intent was clear: rather than killing him in one blow, they wanted to restrict his movement and buy time. If he stayed pinned down, other enemies would surely converge, or the mage’s teammates would rush in to take his head.
“Not on my watch!”
Seo-un’s figure blurred as he accelerated, ignoring the spells raining down around him. As soon as the initial attack began, he had already stripped off his cloak and shoved it into his subspace. He couldn't let a cloak with the durability of glass get ruined by such a crude attack before he even had a chance to use it.
Besides, the magic wasn't being aimed precisely. He charged through the barrage, indifferent to the chaos, until a stray orb of light struck his shoulder.
Bang!
It exploded instantly, tearing a hole in his clothes and scorching the skin beneath. However, Seo-un, protected by his internal power, merely stumbled for a moment and didn't stop running.
Bang! Bang!
He was hit in the arm and thigh shortly after, but it was manageable thanks to his internal power and magic resistance. After all, the spell was designed for a wide area of effect rather than raw power.
‘Map!’
Checking the map, Seo-un re-examined his destination: a precipitous cliff. It was a place where the solid ground split apart like a jagged crevasse, creating a deep, narrow valley.
Seo-un had chosen that place as his first refuge for two reasons. First, a mage with pathetic physical abilities wouldn't dare descend that cliff. Second, the valley was so deep that sunlight barely reached the bottom, making it the perfect place to utilize the Cloak of Stealth to its full potential.
Even in broad daylight, as long as the environment allowed him to use the cloak, Seo-un didn't fear most enemies.
‘Though getting ganged up on is still a problem.’
As he ran, he felt a presence trailing behind him. The moment he cleared the hilly terrain, Seo-un’s eyes widened as he glanced back at the enemies pursuing him with bloodshot eyes. He saw a hulking knight and a mage reaching out toward him from atop a roofless, horseless carriage.
‘They... they even have mounts?!’
Just as he was about to hurl another curse at the creator of this game, he felt a surge of mana from behind. His form flickered. In an instant, his figure split into three, each darting off in a different direction. The mage’s momentary panic was palpable.
Boom!
A blast of fire magic struck the Seo-un running to the left, but the knight didn't miss the fact that the figure vanished like a mirage the moment it was hit. The knight, who had been running alongside the carriage, leaped up and boarded it, causing the vehicle's speed to drop noticeably.
The mage, already anxious because they couldn't close the gap, was about to say something when a long lance appeared in the knight’s hand. The lance, made of smooth, unadorned wood, was clearly designed for throwing.
Swish!
Instead of a mana surge, Seo-un heard the sound of air being torn. He glanced back and turned pale when he saw the spear descending in a lethal arc. He had been so focused on the carriage that he hadn't noticed the projectile falling from the sky in time.
“Tch!”
The moment he spotted the spear, he twisted his body mid-air. Unable to handle the forward momentum, he lost his balance. He barely managed to stop himself by grabbing the spear that had grazed him and embedded itself in the ground. His pants were shredded from scraping against the earth.
By grabbing the spear as he fell, he at least avoided rolling ignominiously across the dirt. He immediately yanked the spear out, channeled his internal power into it, and hurled it back toward the mage on the approaching carriage.
Screeeech!
Unlike the knight’s arcing throw, the spear flew in a perfectly straight line. The mage’s face turned white. As soon as he threw the spear, Seo-un turned his back and started running again, not even bothering to see if it hit.
Clang!
A sturdy shield lunged forward in front of the frozen mage and deflected the spear. The spear crumpled instantly upon impact, unable to withstand the force. The knight, who had thrust the shield forward, felt the impact vibrate through his arm and realized the power behind the throw was extraordinary. A smirk twisted his lips.
He looked as if he had found an interesting toy. The mage, belatedly recovering from the shock, began to fuss.
“Gasp! Is... isn't he too much to handle? Maybe we should stop now—”
“There is no need to be so alarmed. We are two, and he is one. Isn't the outcome obvious? Do not be afraid.”
Only then did the mage regain his composure. He nodded and began pouring magic toward the retreating enemy.
Boom!
Seo-un could now easily dodge the spells that fell occasionally. As he grew accustomed to the Cloud Soaring Step, dodging single-shot spells fired from a distance was no longer a challenge.
Swish!
And the spears. Dodging the spears aimed at his back wasn't particularly difficult either. All he had to do was watch for them and dodge the moment he heard the sound. The gap between them closed slightly because of it, but he didn't worry much since that strange carriage couldn't actually catch up to him.
Just as Seo-un was getting used to the attacks from behind, a look of dismay crossed his face.
K-boom!
Simultaneous with the magic from behind, two arrows flew at him from the front. The timing was suspiciously perfect. He barely managed to launch himself into the air and spin, but the two arrows still grazed his arm and shoulder. If he hadn't jumped at that exact moment, the arrows would have pierced his heart and head.
Having dodged the arrows, Seo-un was swept away by the aftershock of the magic and rolled violently across the ground. His once-decent clothes were now completely shredded, making him look like a total beggar.
“Another pincer attack?”
Seo-un stood up and dusted off his clothes as if it were nothing, looking as nonchalant as a student who had tripped during a school race. Seeing two hooded figures with bows appearing in front and the two men on the horseless carriage approaching from behind, Seo-un gave up on moving altogether.
‘About twenty minutes left?’
Estimating the time until his next location reveal, Seo-un looked up at the enemies approaching from both sides.
“Hurry it up!”
His bold, demanding tone—as if he were a debt collector—actually took his pursuers aback. If it were just Seo-un, they would have charged without hesitation. But knowing there was another enemy team targeting the same goal made it difficult to move recklessly.
Only Seo-un, standing in the middle, was relaxed, having accurately read their psychology. The enemies on both sides stopped about fifty meters away from Seo-un, glaring at each other, unsure of what to do.
“You were chasing and attacking me like you were going to kill me any second, and now you’re suddenly acting shy?”
Despite his taunts, the enemies remained silent, tense and prepared for any potential attack. Seo-un hit them where it hurt.
“Since it’s come to this, two of our three teams have to die anyway.”
It was a fact they all knew, but hearing it directly from someone’s mouth made it feel fresh. The two archers tightened their grip on their bows, and the knight adjusted his longsword and shield, preparing for battle. Still, no one made the first move.
A three-way standoff.
The first to be targeted would die. It was a delicate situation where the more advantageous side would likely be focused on first. The mage team and the archer team racked their brains, trying to decide whom to strike. But no matter how they thought about it, they only saw each other as the primary threat.
Seo-un, who appeared to be alone, was naturally a secondary concern. The other duo, still fully intact as a team, was bound to be the greatest enemy. As the two teams exchanged intense glares across Seo-un, a thought suddenly occurred to them.
‘What about that guy?’
‘Which side is he going to attack?’
‘The advantage will shift depending on his decision.’
When the gazes of both teams converged on him, Seo-un finally twisted his lips into a smirk and spoke.
“Looks like everyone’s figured out the situation. Right?”
The knight was the first to speak.
Clang! Clang!
“I don't care if there are two or three of you!”
His bravado in striking his shield with his sword was impressive, but if he were truly that bold, he should have attacked long ago.
‘I’ve already got you pegged as a sucker.’
“That’s what they say,” Seo-un said, addressing the two archers. “How about an alliance until we kill that team?”
When he spoke to the archers, the mage grew frantic.
“W-wait! If you give us a fair share of the items, we’ll let you go!”
The desperate mage made the first offer.
“Ho. That’s what he says. What about you guys?”
One of the hooded figures stepped forward and spoke.
“We have no intention of letting those kingdom bastards leave alive. Fight on our side. Then we will let you go.”
As he finished speaking, he pulled back his hood, revealing long green hair and pointed ears.
“I knew it! Elves!” The knight gnashed his teeth as if he were about to charge.
‘Almost there.’
Having finished his calculations, Seo-un looked back and forth between the two sides and moved. He reached into his subspace and pulled out two items. When he opened two pouches and revealed the items, the mage was the first to react.
“The Philosopher’s Stone!”
“You know your stuff. I don't need to explain how rare this is, do I?” As he spoke, he watched the mage, whose eyes were clearly clouded with greed. “The other is the Tear of Lamia. Both are precious items. Items I risked my life to get. I’ll leave these two here and go. Winner takes all. How about it? Is this enough for you to let me go?”
He looked at the elves first. They exchanged glances for a moment and then nodded. For them, it was better to eliminate the variable of an extra enemy. The mage’s side was a given; the moment he saw the Philosopher’s Stone, Seo-un didn't doubt for a second that he would accept.
“Then I’ll leave these two items right here where you can see them.”
Even as Seo-un placed the two items on the ground and backed away, the two teams only glared at each other, unable to spare a thought for him. Once he was about ten paces away, Seo-un turned and sprinted off. Simultaneously, the sounds of battle erupted behind him.
‘The winners of that fight will come after me again anyway.’
Human greed knows no bounds. Seo-un knew better than anyone that they wouldn't easily let go of a lone player they had already targeted. That was why he had offered the two most useless yet high-value items he had.
If they took the bait and left him alone, that was a win. If they came after him again, he would just kill them and take the items back.
However, he had to be extremely careful for the next five hours. This was the most dangerous time, as there was no telling how many enemies would swarm his location.