Chapter 6: The First Battle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: The First Battle
Calling it a mere ghillie suit didn't do it justice.
It hides my presence with stealth and provides resistance against Detection magic... I hadn't considered that. In martial arts novels, a warrior’s senses always transcend human limits. And for those mages, using a spell or two to sense a person's presence would be child's play. This item is directly linked to my survival!
He hurriedly wrapped the cloak around himself.
The garment was so large it felt like a heavy blanket dragging on the floor, but the moment he finished putting it on, it shrank to fit his body perfectly.
As expected of a magic item!
With both a breastplate and a cloak now equipped, Seo-un felt a surge of confidence. As long as he stuck to his strategy and had a bit of luck, reaching the Top 90 didn't seem so daunting.
That’s the advantage of quick farming. If you just keep looting without running into enemies, you’ll find yourself in the middle of the pack before you know it.
Following his pre-planned route, Seo-un searched six more cabins, but he found nothing new. As the sun dipped below the horizon and the world grew dark, he opened his map.
I’ve made it this far safely. The problem now is the Magnetic Field. It’s best to stay as close to the edge of the Magnetic Field as possible, eliminate any threats from behind, and focus solely on survival as I move forward...
If he played it safe, the Top 90 was within reach. The real issue was farming the specific items he needed.
Seo-un had managed to find better gear than expected, but it still wasn't enough. Since he had been thrown into this unfair competition as the weakest link, no amount of gear would matter unless he found something that could instantly boost his base stats.
As he stood there lost in thought, his figure blurring into the descending shadows, the sound of footsteps echoed nearby.
An enemy?!
Startled, Seo-un almost bolted into the empty cabin behind him but forced himself to stop.
Wait, I’m invisible right now!
Looking down, he could barely see his own legs. Realizing the power of the cloak once again, Seo-un carefully pulled out his crossbow and loaded a bolt. He aimed toward the sound and stared intently into the gloom.
Soon, a man appeared, staggering and covered in blood. He spotted the cabin and began dragging his mangled leg toward it with agonizing effort.
"Huff... Huff..."
Watching the man gasp for breath as he desperately tried to reach the shelter, Seo-un began to apply pressure to the trigger.
Shoot! Shoot, Jin Seo-un! Just pull it! This is just a game! Shoot, you bastard!
Just as Seo-un was about to fire, a mass of bright red flames roared from the darkness behind the staggering man, engulfing and incinerating him instantly.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Seeing a human being burn to death right before his eyes sent a chill down Seo-un's spine. Cold sweat trickled down his back. Only then did his tactical mind kick back into gear.
If there’s a wounded man, there’s someone who wounded him.
Step. Step.
As the killer approached, Seo-un steeled his heart.
This isn't just a game... I absolutely cannot die like that.
Death is terrifying to anyone, but some ways of dying are more fearsome than others. Dying in agony, consumed by magical flames, was at the top of that list.
As he stared at the charred corpse, the body vanished, and a wooden box appeared in its place. Seeing the flat, rectangular container, Seo-un recognized it instantly.
Loot!
Taking a deep breath, Seo-un placed his finger back on the trigger and shifted his gaze toward the approaching footsteps. However, he didn't aim directly at where the enemy was coming from. Instead, he aimed precisely at the box the dead man had left behind, anticipating where the enemy—who was now faintly visible—would stop.
"A direct hit. I heard a scream, so I wondered if I'd missed."
From the man's pleased tone, Seo-un could tell the magic had luckily struck the victim in the back.
His aim must be terrible.
"A mere peasant, trying to run. Now, let's see what you've gathered, shall we?"
Looking at the slight, small-statured man approaching the box, Seo-un realized he wasn't the only one thrown into this game with the stats of an ordinary person.
I suppose whether it’s a world of mages or martial artists, there are always commoners.
The strange sense of kinship he felt for the man who had been burned to death washed away the last of his reluctance to kill. If he didn't act, that charred corpse could have been him.
Seo-un's gaze grew cold. He aimed precisely at the head of the man crouching over the wooden box and fired.
Thwack! Whoosh! Clang!
The bolt, which should have pierced the man's skull, was deflected just before impact. Seo-un saw a translucent membrane shimmer around the target the moment the bolt hit. He also didn't miss the fine cracks spreading across the transparent shield.
Startled by the ambush, the man scrambled back and muttered an incantation.
"Askro Squad Fire."
A fireball ignited in the man's hand as he drew a longsword with the other, frantically scanning his surroundings. Seo-un quickly reloaded.
He still doesn't know where I am.
It was obvious from his panicked movements. It made sense; a black bolt flying through the dead of night was nearly impossible to track. If the enemy had been a high-level knight or a martial artist, they might have sensed the trajectory, but this man held his sword with a clumsy, untrained posture.
The way he’s looking around, unable to pinpoint the direction, is just like a rookie.
Seo-un fired the second bolt.
Thwack! Whoosh! Clang!
At the sound of the impact, the man spun toward the source. The bolt was deflected again, but in that instant, the mage threw the fireball with all his might toward Seo-un’s position.
"Strike!"
As he finished the incantation, the bright red fireball grew in size, screaming through the air.
Whoosh!
The flames swept through the spot where the crossbow had been fired and exploded in a roar of heat. However, Seo-un was already loading his third bolt, indifferent to the explosion. The moment he had fired the second shot, he had rolled to the side and repositioned.
The man stared at the spot where his fireball had vanished into the darkness, then quickly moved his lips.
"Detection!"
After casting the spell and sensing no one nearby, he began to move forward cautiously. Convinced his enemy had been incinerated, he relaxed his guard.
A third bolt flew toward the back of his head.
Thwack! Whoosh! Shatter!
With the sound of breaking glass, the shield protecting the man shattered into fragments. The man spun around, panic written on his face, and began to chant.
"Askro Squad Fi—"
He never finished.
A shuriken thrown by Seo-un sliced through the darkness in near-silence, burying itself exactly between the man's eyes.
Thud.
Watching the man collapse, Seo-un finally allowed himself to stand. He had been crouching to maximize his accuracy. Straightening his back, he placed a hand over his empty Dantian and gave a bitter smile.
"It really does go empty after just one shot."
Fearing the man might refresh his shield, Seo-un had poured every drop of his internal energy into that shuriken. His small Dantian was now completely drained.
Approaching the corpse, Seo-un saw the man’s eyes, wide with shock, before the body turned transparent and vanished. In its place, a second wooden box appeared.
"Whew."
Flop.
Only then did the reality of his survival hit him. The adrenaline faded, leaving his limbs heavy. After catching his breath, Seo-un opened the wooden box. His expression brightened.
[Ding! You have obtained a Longsword.]
[A longsword made of ordinary iron. The blade is undamaged.]
"Well, it’s just a self-defense tool for a mage."
Without even drawing the blade, Seo-un strapped it to his waist. He tossed aside some useless clothes and a spare cloak, then turned his attention to several leather pouches.
[Ding! You have obtained a Mana Stone. It assists mana when using magic, increasing the success rate of spells.]
"They have things like this too? And this is... beef jerky."
Seo-un stuffed the jerky and the mana stones into his subspace and examined the remaining items.
[Ding! You have obtained Askro's Necklace.]
[This necklace, crafted from pure gold, is a symbol of a mage from the Askro Magic Society. Showing this necklace at an Askro Magic Branch will grant you assistance.]
"Tsk. Trash."
He was about to toss it away, hoping for a stat boost instead, but then he paused and put it in his subspace. It’s pure gold... I might be able to take it back to Earth.
[Ding! You have obtained Dual Spelling. When equipped, it allows the caster to cast one more spell than their current ability allows.]
"Huh? What does that mean?"
[Detailed Description: Dual Spelling is an item that increases the caster's spelling capacity. For a mage who can use one spell, it allows them to use two spells simultaneously. For a mage who can use two, it allows three.]
"Ah, double casting. That's why that guy could hold the shield and the fireball at the same time. I guess he wasn't a total amateur."
Seo-un's guess was accurate. The mage he had killed was a fresh graduate who had only recently earned his title.
[Ding! You have obtained an Intermediate Recovery Scroll. Would you like to use it?]
[Ding! You have obtained a Shield Scroll. Would you like to use it? Once used, the shield will persist until it is broken.]
[Ding! You have obtained an Awakening Potion. Would you like to use it? Upon use, all nerves become more active. Effects last for 1 hour. There may be side effects after use.]
"Better safe than sorry."
He tore the Shield Scroll. With a low hum, a thin membrane shimmered around his body before fading from view.
"The question is, what is this potion...?"
[Detailed Description: The Awakening Potion is a magical tonic used by mages to stimulate the brain and nervous system. It may be accompanied by side effects such as extreme fatigue and lethargy after use.]
"Brain and nerves? So it’s like magical caffeine. I don't think I need it right now..."
Despite his skepticism, he tucked the potion away.
"And the last item is... another scroll. Of course. He was a mage, after all."
[Ding! You have obtained a Mana Explosion Scroll. Would you like to use it? Warning: The user is currently within the explosion radius.]
"Mana Explosion? What's this?"
The detailed description window popped up instantly.
[Detailed Description: The Mana Explosion Scroll triggers a localized mana blast. Activation conditions vary. The scroll you have obtained is a trap-type. When placed, it will explode upon detecting a nearby presence. Caution is required during deployment.]
"Heh... they even have landmines."
Seo-un shook his head at the variety of scrolls but tucked it away nonetheless.
"I was hoping for an item that would let me learn magic, though."
Disappointed by the mage's box, Seo-un moved to the first wooden box—the one left by the man who had been burned to death. He opened it without much expectation, but his lips curled into a smile at the sight of the contents.
As Seo-un reached for the leather pouches, a familiar voice rang in his ears.
[Ding! You have obtained a Beginner Circle Stone. Would you like to use it? Cooldown time: 3 hours.]
"A Circle Stone? What's that?"
By now, Seo-un was accustomed to the system. He waited for the description to appear.