Chapter 50: Duo vs. Quad. The Art of Ganging Up
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 50: Duo vs. Quad. The Art of Ganging Up
After looting the blood-stained chest left in the open, the two men finished scavenging the remaining two boxes inside the house.
[Ring of Protection: Increases Tenacity and Physical Defense by 20%.]
[Kaier Earth Skill Book: A skill of the knight Cardin. Surrounds the user with an Aura of Defense, recovering a portion of damage received from enemies.]
[Ring of Torga: Increases the user's Max Mana by 10%.]
[Flame Burst Grimoire: A 5th Circle fire spell. Launches a fireball that triggers a massive explosion, dealing intense fire and pressure damage to all enemies within the radius.]
[Elm Bow: Flexible limbs allow for rapid firing. Increases Attack Speed by 10%.]
"Brother, this is a great haul. Flame Burst is the most powerful of the 5th Circle fire spells."
Seo-un nodded, watching Gi-chan’s eyes sparkle with excitement. Along with the key items, they had picked up various minor armor pieces, scrolls, and a Subspace Quiver.
"I’ll give you the grimoire and the two rings for now. Use them immediately."
"Wouldn't it be better for you to take the Ring of Protection, Brother?"
"No. Since we’re outnumbered, you’re more likely to be targeted. Learn Kaier Earth as well. You need to be versatile—not just rear support, but capable of holding your own in close-quarters combat too."
After handing the core items to Gi-chan, Seo-un picked up the bow and the quiver. Gi-chan looked at him, feeling a pang of guilt for taking all the best loot.
"Don't look at me like that. If there’s an item I really want, I’ll take it. And… about what you asked earlier."
Seo-un brought it up casually while Gi-chan was busy equipping the rings, a wide grin plastered on his face.
"Earlier? Oh! Right. How did you detect the alarm magic?"
As Gi-chan learned the skill and slid the rings onto his fingers, Seo-un muttered as if talking to himself while checking the map.
"The item that dropped from the Golden Weapon Box I farmed from you… it was an Ego Weapon. He told me."
"I see… Wait, what?! An Ego Weapon dropped?!!!"
Gi-chan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. In truth, he had wanted to ask about the Golden Weapon Box several times. He had held back, even as they became friends in reality, because he didn't want Seo-un to think he still felt entitled to the loot.
"Yeah, it just kind of happened."
"That’s insane! That’s the highest possible grade from a Golden Weapon Box! It’s a legendary item even on the community forums…"
Hamit vibrated against Seo-un’s side, smugly asserting his presence. Ignoring the weapon completely, Seo-un nodded.
"It’s certainly useful, but I wouldn't go that far…"
"No wonder it felt strange," Gi-chan mused. "Alarm magic barely has any mana fluctuations, after all."
"Let’s leave the past where it is and plan our route. Behind us is a large city where quite a few players dropped. Ahead are a few small villages. Beyond those is the center of the force field—an area filled with buffs and boss monsters. What’s the move?"
Gi-chan opened his map, scanned it for a moment, and then looked at Seo-un to gauge his intentions.
"You want to clear these small villages as we move forward, don't you?"
Seo-un answered with a thin smile.
"If those guys are nearby, I definitely want to wipe them out. When the game ends, we’ll return to the exact moment we were fighting them in reality. The outcome of that fight could change depending on the rewards from this game. I don't want to leave any variables."
If they were eliminated here while their opponents secured high-tier rewards, reality would become a living hell.
"Then let’s start with the nearest village."
"Yes. My only concern is the quads that might survive the city behind us and push forward."
"It’s only the first day. The player count hasn't dropped significantly yet, so we have time. Let’s scout the villages ahead for tracks. Also, even if it slows down our farming, it’s better to move along the high-altitude ridges to maintain the high ground."
Gi-chan nodded in agreement. "Right. Since we’re short on numbers, flanking is our best bet."
With that, the two vanished into the forest.
They moved swiftly toward the high ground, circling around to observe their target village from cover. As they scanned for signs of life, Gi-chan spoke first.
Many of the doors to the houses were standing wide open.
Seo-un nodded. The game had reached a point where even the smallest action was a high-level psychological play.
The two moved quickly, bypassing the looted village and heading toward the next one. It was a longer route, but they stuck to the ridges. As they approached the next settlement, they felt an intense surge of mana.
Without a word, both stopped and dropped into the brush.
— BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shook the ground near their hiding spot.
Moving with practiced stealth, Seo-un crossed the village fence and slipped inside.
"Alexigo!"
A short-haired, middle-aged man in robes shouted a command. Beside him, a stone golem was suddenly encased in iron armor, wielding a massive shield and sword.
"Crush the mage first!"
The command came from a bald man in robes, protected by the golem. Beside him, a man wearing silver-white pauldrons stepped forward, parrying an enemy’s blade with a heavy shield.
They were facing three opponents: a martial artist, a mage, and an archer.
The archer, hooded and moving with elven grace, was particularly troublesome. Their positioning was flawless, weaving between the team’s mage and the martial artist engaged in melee, firing curved arrows that restricted the enemies' movements.
As Seo-un watched from the shadows, his lips twisted into a grimace. He recognized those faces. He had hoped to find them, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
The enemy martial artist was doing a fine job of holding off Chil-sang—who was equipped with the shield and pauldrons—and Jong-cheon, who was lurking behind him, waiting for a lethal opening. Occasionally, with the archer’s support, the martial artist even managed to push them back.
"Do something about that damn archer first!" Chil-sang roared, barely blocking an arrow aimed at his flank.
Dal-jin gritted his teeth. — CRASH!
"Keeping that mage in check is hard enough! Why are you playing so safe when you’ve got buffs? We need to take down the mage to get some breathing room!"
Chil-sang’s face contorted at Dal-jin’s retort. Scowling, he glanced to his side. Jong-cheon nodded as their eyes met.
The Three Forms of Sword Command.
This technique consumed a massive amount of internal energy with every use. It was the trump card that had allowed Jong-cheon to survive this long. His internal power wasn't deep enough to use it constantly, but he felt that as long as his energy held out, he could face anyone.
Hiding in Chil-sang’s blind spot, Jong-cheon pulled two swords from his subspace. Holding a blade in each hand, with one hidden behind his back, he leaped over Chil-sang and swung the twin blades at the martial artist.
— CLANG!
The moment the martial artist blocked the attack, Chil-sang lunged forward to intercept three arrows flying toward Jong-cheon. Then, a single sword—the decisive strike—rose above Jong-cheon’s head and shot toward the opponent.
When the martial artist saw the sword aiming for his spleen from his flank, he felt the cold sting of impending death. He hadn't expected a hidden blade to fly via Sword Command and couldn't react in time. With Jong-cheon’s twin blades pressing down on him, he couldn't even pull his own sword away. He desperately twisted his body.
— SWOOSH! CLANG!
At that moment, an arrow whistled through the air and struck the incoming sword, knocking it aside. The blade only grazed the martial artist’s side, allowing him to escape the crisis.
Jong-cheon and the martial artist, locked in a struggle, didn't realize the arrow had come from a third party. The martial artist assumed his teammate had saved him; Jong-cheon thought the same.
However, everyone else noticed the arrow had come from a completely unexpected direction.
"Flanked!"
At the shout, the players who had been locked in combat immediately disengaged and backed away. At the same time, Seo-un called out to Gi-chan.
The players stood apart, their gazes sharp as they scanned the surroundings. Nothing was more dangerous than fighting an enemy in front of you while another lurked at your back.
As they surveyed the area, Jong-cheon spoke first.
"If we withdraw from this village, will you let us go? There’s no need for either of us to take unnecessary risks, right?"
The martial artist fell into thought. At that moment, Seo-un revealed himself.
"I can't let that happen."
Jong-cheon’s expression crumpled the moment he saw Seo-un. Dal-jin and Chil-sang also glared at him with looks of pure disgust.
"I’ll be satisfied as long as these guys die," Seo-un said, addressing the other team. "I’ll even give up all the items they drop. Just help me take them down. I’ll withdraw afterward without causing any trouble. What do you say?"
The sudden appearance of a new player making such an offer invited suspicion. However, the martial artist’s expression shifted after his archer teammate whispered something over the team voice chat.
"Is that why you helped me?"
"Yes."
"Are you alone?"
"No. I have a mage teammate as well."
Just as the martial artist was about to ask where the teammate was, a powerful surge of mana erupted from the roof of a three-story house nearby. Everyone’s attention snapped to Gi-chan, who stood clad in robes, a fireball crackling in his hand.
"Their items go to you. This village’s items go to us. And at least for today, we don't target each other. On those conditions, we’ll cooperate."
The martial artist proposed a fair deal, wary of a backstab. He had made such deals before; some were clean, others ended in disaster. He had learned one thing: you have to divide the gains appropriately. Joining hands with an enemy to eliminate a greater threat was common in Cloyd. Alliances only failed when greed took over.
Recognizing the man's intent, Seo-un smirked. "I have no reason to refuse."
"That makes it… five against four."
The martial artist lowered his sword, his momentum rising as he glared at Jong-cheon.
"W-wait! You want a fight to the death here? There’s no need to overdo it! If you lose here, you’re eliminated!" Jong-cheon shouted, panicked.
But the players gathered here were far too experienced to be swayed. In a world where being pushed out meant the end, their instincts told them they had secured an overwhelming advantage.
Following Jong-cheon, Dal-jin spoke up. "Jin Seo-un! We crossed the line in reality. We apologize! We were just trying to bring you in for the sake of the organization. It wasn't a bad deal for you either! A group is better than being alone…"
— CLANG!
There was no need to listen to his pathetic excuses. Seo-un fired two arrows at Dal-jin’s flapping mouth. They were blocked by the golem, and Dal-jin scrambled backward.
It’s definitely inconvenient without a rapid-fire skill.
Having shut Dal-jin up, Seo-un sprinted toward their rear. In front, Jong-cheon and Chil-sang were pinned down by the martial artist and the archer, unable to retreat. This left Dal-jin and the other robed player exposed.
— WHOOSH! BOOM!
Meanwhile, Gi-chan unleashed Flame Burst from the roof. The explosion right next to the golem caused it to stagger and slump to its side.
"Jong-cheon! Do something!" Dal-jin shrieked, frantically casting a spell as Seo-un closed the distance.
Jong-cheon was gritting his teeth, struggling in his own fight. Despite receiving enhancement spells from the alchemist, the martial artist before him was a monster. Even though Jong-cheon was raining down blades using Sword Command, the man blocked all three with just one sword. His martial arts were clearly on another level.
If Jong-cheon sent Chil-sang to the back, he wouldn't be able to block the incoming arrows and the martial artist at the same time. To make matters worse, the enemy mage’s spells were creating utter chaos. Dal-jin was too busy trying to keep Seo-un at bay to counter the enemy mage.
The first to die was the alchemist. The golem he had enhanced was strictly protecting only Dal-jin. Caught by Gi-chan’s Ice Snake, the alchemist froze with a look of bitter regret before shattering into pieces.
"That’s why you shouldn't go around asking after other people’s parents."
"Gah!!"
Dal-jin had raised an Earth Wall and poured out fire magic, but Seo-un’s fist—having tanked the spells and broken through—slammed into Dal-jin’s chest.
Hamit relished the sensation as he ruptured Dal-jin’s heart.
Seo-un’s shoulders and face were scorched, fluid oozing from the burns. The spells weren't something he could easily tank with his current magic resistance, but he had pushed through to end the fight quickly. Tearing a recovery scroll, Seo-un turned his gaze toward Jong-cheon.
With Dal-jin dead, Jong-cheon and Chil-sang split up and fled in opposite directions. They had realized they had no chance.
Two arrows thudded into Chil-sang’s back just as he was about to vault over the fence, sending him tumbling pathetically. The martial artist’s sword plunged into his throat.
— Gurgle!
The sound of boiling blood escaped him, his eyes filled with raw resentment as he faded away.
— CLANG! CLANG!
Jong-cheon, who had just cleared the fence, felt a sharp energy and spun around to swing his sword. A powerful fist qi collided with his blade, the impact staggering him. With his internal power nearly depleted from overusing Sword Command, he stood no chance against Seo-un.
"Who was it that said… nothing is as miserable as being eliminated?"
"L-look. There’s no need for this! We’re both Korean…"
In an instant, Seo-un multiplied into six, surrounding him.
As the six voices spoke in unison, Jong-cheon flinched, his mouth hanging open. In that moment, all six Seo-uns lunged.
— THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!
Pummeled by Penetrating Strike and Bone-Breaking Strike, Jong-cheon’s body was reduced to a mangled mess of flesh and blood. The light of life slowly faded from his eyes.
Above the mangled corpse and the pool of blood, a loot box appeared.