Chapter 49: Duo vs. Quad. How to Execute a Pincer Attack
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49: Duo vs. Quad. How to Execute a Pincer Attack
As soon as they vaulted the fence of a small village consisting of about thirty houses, Seo-un pressed his back against the nearest building and scanned for any signs of movement.
Gi-chan remained in ambush further back, keeping an eye on the situation to provide magical support if anything went wrong.
Pushing his Muryeong Phantom Step to its limit, Seo-un moved through the village with the speed and stealth of a shadow. He quickly circled the perimeter and returned to his starting position.
-Clear.
-Yes, sir!
After signaling Gi-chan, Seo-un entered the first house and began farming.
They continued to scavenge, picking up mediocre items as they worked in sync. Once they finished clearing the area, Gi-chan let out a long sigh.
“Sigh. Our luck is absolute trash, isn’t it? We’ve hit two villages and haven't seen a single accessory.”
“It’s only the first day. We haven't even finished our farming route yet. Now, let’s make a decision.”
“About what?”
“The remaining quad. Do we wipe them out before we leave, or just slip away?”
Gi-chan shook his head at Seo-un, who was asking for his opinion.
“It doesn’t matter what I say; you’re going to say we should clear them out anyway, Hyung.”
A thick smile spread across Seo-un’s face.
The remaining quad. He hadn't confirmed it yet, but as long as there was a possibility it was Jong-cheon’s group, he had to check.
Gi-chan likely felt the same. They couldn't simply let those people go after the conflict they’d had in reality. Especially since they had all been caught in the same Quad Game, he had to make sure they were eliminated. If he didn't drop them here, they would undoubtedly continue to be a nuisance in the real world.
“Survivor List.”
378/400
.
.
.
Kang Gi-chan -> Galio (Kill via Hidden Weapons)
Jin Seo-un -> Taodin (Kill via Fist Technique)
Jurokuana -> Zhou Jielun (Kill via Archery)
Seo-un’s expression hardened as he scanned the survivor list. Noticing the change in his face, Gi-chan spoke up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah. I just ran into an ill-fated connection again.”
“Is it an enemy from a previous game?”
Gi-chan, being an experienced player, grasped the situation immediately.
“Yeah. The bastard who planted an arrow in my head is in this game too.”
“Then… you mean from your first game? He must be a tough opponent.”
“He’s tough, but he’s also a piece of work. He talks big about honor while ganging up on people.”
“Was he a beginner back then?”
“I think so. Why?”
“Then he’s likely on his third round by now, just like you. He’s a player who climbs the ranks as fast as you do. If he’s always talking about honor, he’s probably not a Martial Artist… We should be careful not to run into him if possible.”
“Well, if we do meet, it’ll just be an opportunity for revenge.”
“It’s still early. Let’s take it slow until we hit the Top 120. Kill rewards and revenge are great, but the most important thing is…”
“Not getting disqualified. I know.”
Closing the survivor list, Seo-un spoke.
“Let’s go.”
Seo-un blurred into motion, dashing forward, and Gi-chan followed closely behind.
The forest surrounding the village was attractive terrain for an ambush. If one positioned themselves well and kept watch, they could keep the enemy’s movements in sight while they farmed, starting the fight with a massive advantage.
Conversely, those doing the farming had to be constantly wary of such enemies, forcing them to heighten their alertness toward the village outskirts. They couldn't help but worry if someone was watching them from the trees.
-They should be farming this village or the mine by now, right?
-Probably.
-Master! There’s alarm magic installed!
At Hamit’s warning, Seo-un came to a dead stop.
Gi-chan, seeing Seo-un stop so abruptly while running at full tilt, tried to stop beside him but ended up skidding two steps further. It was difficult to mimic Seo-un’s movements, which seemed to defy the laws of inertia.
Seo-un looked at Gi-chan’s feet and asked Hamit internally.
‘Did it go off?’
-No. You avoided it by a hair. One more step and you would’ve tripped it.
‘What’s the range?’
-About 100 meters to the left and right from here. You’ll have to circle around.
“Hyung?”
Gi-chan called out cautiously, seeing Seo-un’s grim expression.
“Hmm? Oh. There’s alarm magic. Don’t go any further. That was close.”
Gi-chan’s jaw dropped. He was a mage-main, yet he hadn't noticed the alarm magic set by another mage, while Seo-un had read it perfectly.
He had a lot of questions, but he didn't know where to start. Seo-un patted the stammering Gi-chan on the shoulder and began to carefully bypass the magic. Gi-chan snapped out of it and followed.
“How did you sense it?”
“Let’s finish this first, then we’ll talk.”
To be honest, regardless of his friendship and trust in Gi-chan, Seo-un felt awkward talking about Hamit. Since Hamit was the weapon he’d obtained by taking Gi-chan’s Golden Weapon Box, it felt wrong to give him the details.
However, he didn't want to lie, so he silenced Gi-chan and moved forward, pretending to be extra cautious as he scanned their surroundings.
Seeing Seo-un’s demeanor, Gi-chan also grew tense and spoke through the team voice chat.
-If there’s alarm magic here, there’s definitely an enemy in this village, right?
-Yeah.
-It’s four against two, so we have to be careful.
-Don’t assume. We don’t know if it’s four solo-quads or two duos. Don’t jump to conclusions; prepare for every possibility.
Gi-chan nodded and swallowed hard. It was a prejudice he’d formed without realizing it. In Cloyd, a small mistake could always result in a heavy price.
Approaching the bushes in front of a three-story house near the fence, Seo-un raised his hand to stop and lowered his body further.
-I’ll check first. Wait here.
As soon as he finished speaking, Seo-un hopped the fence, pressed himself against the wall, and carefully peered through a second-floor window from the balcony. After spotting a scroll lying on the floor inside, he opened the window and slipped in.
-Come in.
Gi-chan followed him through the window.
-They’re likely guarding the village outskirts. At most, they’ll be farming in pairs. They’ll be coming into this house soon. We’ll camp here and wipe them out quickly. Once we take out the ones coming inside, you head out the window to the roof and watch for any others following them.
Gi-chan nodded, inwardly marveling. He’d expected something when he heard the term "surprise attack," but coming up with a strategy to handle the enemy this quickly and putting it into action was no easy feat. Anyone can make a plan, but in actual combat, there are always obstacles to executing it.
They held their breath, staring at the second-floor entrance, when a sound reached them.
-Creeeak.
The creak of the first-floor door opening, which would normally be trivial, sounded as loud as a thunderclap.
-Try not to use magic if you can help it.
Gi-chan nodded, though he already knew that without being told.
“I don’t like that knight guy.”
“Me neither. It’s pathetic how he acts all high and mighty giving orders just because he’s got a mage with him. But as long as we’re teammates, bickering will only hurt us all.”
“I know that.”
The voices of teammates complaining about each other grew closer.
“Still, it’s a good thing the mage set up that alarm magic… Gack!”
The archer with a bow slung over his shoulder couldn't finish his sentence. His eyes bulged as a dagger buried itself in his throat. As he collapsed forward, the knight following behind him drew his longsword.
-Crunch!
The knight tried to lunge toward the robed enemy who had thrown the dagger, but he couldn't move as intended. Seo-un had dropped from above, crushing the knight’s helmet in a single blow and ending his life instantly.
As Seo-un absorbed the vitality, he looked at Gi-chan, who was already slipping out the window.
-Hyung! They’re coming! It’s a mage and a knight.
It was the combination they had expected from the conversation they’d overheard.
-Attack!
At Seo-un’s order, Gi-chan, who was lying on the roof observing the enemies, unleashed magic toward the two.
The pair, who had approached the house after sensing something was wrong, blocked the Ice Snake lunging from above and scanned the roof. However, as soon as Gi-chan fired the spell, he dropped to the ground to prepare his next one.
The moment the knight spotted Gi-chan and prepared to charge—
-Crash!
Seo-un burst through the second-floor window, dropping toward the two enemies alongside an Ice Lance.
Before the chill of the Ice Snake they’d barely blocked could even dissipate, the Ice Lance fell, its frost binding the knight’s feet. As the knight grimaced at his freezing greaves and ankles, Seo-un’s fist descended toward the crown of his head.
-Boom!
Unlike the knight in the house who had been taken out in one shot, a powerful resistance pushed back, and Seo-un’s fist was deflected.
“Kaier Earth!”
As soon as the knight shouted, a faint yellow light flowed over his body. To Seo-un’s surprise, the helmet that had been dented at the crown began to restore itself. Seo-un unleashed a flurry of strikes.
-Clang, clang, clang!
The knight blocked the attacks with a small, circular one-handed shield and naturally backed away to protect the mage. A condensed blast of flame flew from the mage, blowing away the frost filling the area.
“Hyung! Get back!”
Even without Gi-chan’s warning, Seo-un could feel that this wasn't a spell he could easily block. The moment he dodged to the side, the flame exploded with a surge of mana.
-KABOOM!
The pressure and heat of the explosion swallowed Seo-un. Blown back by the force, Seo-un rolled and immediately scrambled to his feet, gritting his teeth.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine!”
-Clang!
As soon as he spoke, he blocked the knight’s sword descending toward his head with the back of his hand.
His hand, protected by Hamit, throbbed. The knight’s strength was no joke; he pressed down with his sword as if determined to win a contest of pure power. If this continued, Seo-un might be overwhelmed by brute force.
-Crackle!
Suddenly, sparks erupted from Seo-un’s hand, traveling through the blade to the knight. Startled by the sudden electrocution, the knight pulled back his sword and retreated.
Seo-un wasn't about to let him go. Moving faster than the retreating knight, Seo-un lunged into his personal space and threw a punch.
His arm numb from the shock, the knight was a beat late in thrusting his sword, instead bringing his shield up to block Seo-un’s fist.
Concussive Strike.
-Thump!
With a dull thud, the hand holding the shield was knocked upward.
-Clang!
In that opening, Seo-un drove a Penetrating Strike into the knight’s chest. He didn't feel his internal power penetrate the opponent perfectly, but it seemed to have some effect, as blood sprayed from the knight’s fully enclosed helmet.
-Boom! Boom! Boom!
-Crash!
While the two clashed, a magical duel between Gi-chan and the enemy mage turned the surroundings into a battlefield of extremes. Fire and ice magic collided; earth and wind spells clashed. They fought to disrupt the spells targeting their respective partners, resulting in sparks flying, frost pouring down, and the ground being upended around the knight and Seo-un.
Just as they were about to move toward each other again, Seo-un felt the ground beneath his feet turn soft and quickly retreated. The moment he backed away, a sharp, pitch-black spear erupted from the ground before vanishing. The spear was so dark it could have been made of shadows, disappearing as if consumed by the bright ambient light the moment it emerged.
-Boom!
Meanwhile, Gi-chan’s magic also struck the enemy knight.
Earth Wave.
The ground flipped over, sending a massive boulder hurtling toward the knight. It seemed like a simple law of physics as the knight, who blocked the boulder with his small shield, was sent flying backward.
-Swoosh!
As Seo-un rushed toward the fallen knight, a wall erupted from the ground in front of him.
-Shatter!
Seo-un smashed through the wall with his fist and lunged at the knight, who was struggling to stand. As expected, the knight, half-risen, swung his sword in response. It was a strike lacking full power due to his unstable posture, but it was still a blade. If it hit, he would be cut or lose a limb.
The moment Seo-un’s fist met the blade—
Electric Shock.
An intense electrical discharge shocked the knight once more.
-Crackle!
Even then, the knight tried to pull his shield in to protect himself, but he could only watch in panic as his opponent seemed to split into two right before his eyes to deliver the attack. Two Seo-uns unleashed a flurry of strikes on the knight, who had barely managed to stand.
-Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Unable to properly defend against the dozens of punches that rained down in an instant, the knight’s helmet was sent flying. The moment the dented, discarded helmet hit the ground, the short-haired knight coughed up blood and collapsed forward.
-Thwack!
At that same moment, Gi-chan closed the distance to the mage and plunged a dagger into his chest.
“Whew. This team was actually pretty good.”
“Tell me about it.”
Seo-un looked down at the fists that had driven the knight to his death; both were throbbing painfully. It felt like at least two of his fingers were fractured.
Seo-un shook his head and pulled a scroll from his subspace to tear it open. Gi-chan approached him, looking concerned.
“Are you hurt?”
“It’s nothing. He was so damn sturdy that my hands gave out first.”
“Phew. Knights’ durability is no joke.”
Seo-un was certainly feeling the truth of those words.
“Let’s finish farming first.”
“Yes, sir.”