Chapter 91: Appearance of an Epic Monster
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91: Appearance of an Epic Monster
“Sluuurp—ah!”
Dump, now fully addicted to the savory magic of Korean MSG, drained the broth from his disposable paper bowl and wiped the sweat from his brow.
“I’m glad it suits your palate,” Seo-un said.
For someone who usually chewed on tough beef jerky or fruit from his own world, instant Korean ramen was a revelation.
“To think something so easy to cook could taste like this! This is truly a magnificent invention!” Dump gave a thumbs-up, his lips red and slightly swollen from the spice.
Juriel smiled as she watched him. Once everyone had finished their simple meal, Seo-un spoke up.
“Everyone must be tired, so get some sleep. We’ll take turns standing guard in two-hour shifts. The first shift will be me and…”
“I’ll do it.”
Seo-un had been about to point at Gi-chan, but Li Lingwei volunteered first. Juriel, having missed her timing, stood there with one arm half-raised. Her lips twitched, but Li Lingwei—already standing by Seo-un’s side—didn’t even spare her a glance.
As the others headed into the tents, Seo-un pulled a monocular from his subspace and handed it to Li Lingwei.
“I brought several, so keep one.”
Having seen Seo-un use it before, she pressed it to her eye and scanned the surroundings. “I’m curious what kind of world yours is.”
“Well, I’d like to say people live the same everywhere, but it’s probably very different from yours. You’d likely be surprised by many things if you saw it.”
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly as she continued to scan the area. The watch passed with intermittent conversation, the quiet of the night only broken by their low voices. Eventually, Li Min and Gi-chan came to relieve them, and their second day on the unfamiliar map drew to a close.
*
Early the next morning, the team gathered for a simple lunch box meal.
Seo-un, who had prepared a wide variety of food thanks to his subspace storage, was becoming increasingly popular. It might have seemed like a small thing, but in a survival game, food was often the most agonizing problem to solve.
“Let’s start heading toward the Seondong Stone,” Seo-un commanded.
“It would be nice if we could capture it as easily as last time,” Gi-chan remarked.
Seo-un shook his head. “The islands we’ve passed through so far had far too few players. That means they’re all concentrated on the islands ahead.”
Juriel nodded, offering a different perspective. “That’s true, but the majority are likely gathered on the Main Island.”
“Since they can prevent a game clear just by holding the Main Island,” Seo-un added. “Squads confident in their skills are probably guarding the Seondong Stone there.”
“Regardless, let’s keep moving. If we activate this Seondong Stone, we’ll reach Stage 3.”
The mages mounted their Air Boards while the martial artists utilized Lightness Skills, racing across the island toward its center. From a distance, someone was watching them through a large Eye of Distortion.
“Crown Squad spotted on the 4th Island.”
A man in black combat gear holding a rifle reported the sighting. Beside him, a similarly dressed player spoke into the Team Voice Chat.
“Looks like the ones who killed the 2nd squad’s sentries on the 3rd Island.”
“I think it’s that Jin Seo-un guy from Korea. We should definitely avoid a direct confrontation.”
“Until we’re within the survival bracket, the orders are to do nothing but snipe from a distance.”
There were only 18 members of the Asia Seal guild participating in this game. However, they had split into four squads, mixing members to create teams that hid across various islands to maximize their survival rate. Their ultimate goal was to prevent a game clear and enter the survival bracket.
To them, Jin Seo-un’s Crown-grade squad—which actively sought out combat rather than avoiding it—was an opponent to be avoided at all costs.
Whish! Boom!
Seo-un, who had instantly shattered the Eye of Distortion with an arrow, stowed his bow back into his subspace.
“We should assume there’s at least one squad here.”
“Who knows? There might be a squad that just threw Eyes of Distortion onto every island,” Gi-chan suggested.
Juriel shook her head. “If that were the case, they would have been monitoring the area around the Seondong Stone.”
“That makes sense. Let’s move.”
As they traveled, Li Lingwei didn’t forget to neutralize the Blood Poison whenever they encountered a pond with rising mist. As they approached the Seondong Stone, the intense vibrations of mana and the sounds of battle echoed through the air.
Hearing the noise coming from beyond a large hill, Seo-un signaled his teammates to stop. He pulled out his monocular and cautiously climbed the ridge. He didn’t even need the lens to see that a battle was in full swing.
One side was defending alongside blue Dokkaebi, while a well-balanced squad of mages, knights, and martial artists launched a fierce assault. After confirming the situation, Seo-un gestured for his team to approach.
The Seondong Stone was located in the center of a basin. Watching the brutal battle unfold, Gi-chan spoke up. “The squad defending with the Dokkaebi looks like they have a slight advantage.”
“True, but the Dokkaebi don’t respawn,” Seo-un noted. “The defenders are outnumbered in terms of mages and aren’t being proactive.”
“Once the Dokkaebi are cleared out, the attackers will have the upper hand.”
“Unless another squad intervenes.”
Bang!
The sound of a gunshot rang out, and the barrier of a mage who had been spamming spells from the rear shattered. The knight guarding him hurriedly raised his shield to cover the mage, blocking the direction the bullet had come from.
Seo-un predicted the firing line based on the knight’s movement and turned his gaze.
Bang! Bang!
As gunshots echoed through the basin, repeatedly stripping away barriers, the attackers were forced to cast defensive magic instead of offensive spells, stalling their assault.
“Found one. 290,” Li Lingwei whispered.
Seo-un quickly shifted his gaze and spotted a player firing from a prone position.
“I see one at 210 as well,” Jin Long added.
“One at 170,” said Gi-chan.
Seo-un quickly issued orders. “Senior, take 170. I’ll take 290. Li Lingwei, take 210. Let’s finish them quickly.”
The three of them dashed out the moment the order was given.
The sniper at 170, being the closest, was taken down by Jin Long in an instant. The other two snipers stopped firing as they noticed the figures charging toward them. The moment they were spotted, the snipers turned and fled without looking back. As Seo-un and Lingwei pursued them, a notification rang out.
[Ding! An activated Seondong Stone is under attack.]
Simultaneously, Gi-chan gave an urgent briefing over the comms.
—The squad attacking the Seondong Stone is retreating!
—Lingwei! Don’t chase! Fall back! Everyone, get ready for combat. We’re jumping in!
As the retreating squad climbed out of the basin, Seo-un’s squad blocked their path, raining down magic. With their escape route cut off halfway up the hill, the knights and martial artists charged in. On either side of them, Seo-un, Li Lingwei, and Jin Long lunged toward the enemy mages.
As the three of them tore through the basin, the squad that had been defending the Seondong Stone was caught off guard. However, they chose to stay back and watch rather than intervene.
As expected.
Seeing their passive stance, Seo-un’s prediction that they wouldn’t interfere was spot on. It wasn’t hard to predict the playstyle of a squad that looked ready to abandon the Seondong Stone and run at any moment.
—Gi-chan!
—I’m on it!
Seo-un suddenly multiplied into twelve clones, lunging at the mages. The knights protecting them panicked; as shielders, they were at a loss facing the swarming copies.
The moment Seo-un closed the distance, Gi-chan’s Lightning Chain surged through the clones, electrocuting the nearby shielders and mages. The mages held out with their Magic Barriers, but the knights weren’t so lucky.
Crunch!
The moment Seo-un’s hand crushed the helmet of a knight whose movements had been dulled by the shock, Jin Long and Li Lingwei reached the mages. It was incredibly easy to wipe out a squad that had already been drained by a previous battle.
Seo-un quickly issued orders to his teammates, who had finished off the enemy squad in a near-perfect ambush.
—We’re taking the Seondong Stone immediately!
Seeing Seo-un leading the charge with Gale Step, the enemies hiding behind the remaining Dokkaebi—now less than half their original number—turned tail and ran.
“Of all the people, why did a Crown have to show up here?!” the shout of a fleeing enemy reached Seo-un’s ears clearly.
By the time they finished off the 50 Dokkaebi, the fleeing enemies were nowhere to be seen.
“Let’s activate this quickly and pivot to destroying Seondongun from now on,” Seo-un said.
As he touched the Seondong Stone to activate it, a different notification rang out.
[Ding! You have successfully activated the third Seondong Stone. You may summon a Guardian of the Seondong Stone at one of the three locations.]
A map popped up, showing the three activated Seondong Stones glowing. The location currently under attack was flashing red. Naturally, he chose that one.
[Ding! A Guardian is being summoned to the designated location.]
Along with the notification, dark red Dokkaebi, larger than most adult men, appeared. As the teammates’ eyes sparkled at the sight of the Dokkaebi with long tusks and fierce, glowing eyes, another notification rang.
[Ding! A Buff Monster, Guardian of the Seondong Stone, has been summoned to the Island of In.]
“Ah!” Gi-chan let out an exclamation as he checked the map. “So that’s how it works.”
The realization that the summoned Guardian became a Buff Monster made the teammates’ expressions sour.
“This just makes us a target for other players,” Gi-chan muttered.
“That’s likely the intention. It’s a system designed to keep players constantly checking each other,” Seo-un replied.
Dump shook his head. “They made this damn complicated.”
“Don’t overthink it. From now on, we just need to focus on destroying as many Seondongun as possible.”
Survivors: 698/800
Checking the Survivor List, Seo-un tilted his head. Li Lingwei hadn’t specifically scored a kill during the ambush, so it was strange to see her name there. Just as Seo-un was about to ask, Li Lingwei spoke with a curl of her lips.
“I got one. I don’t know who it was, but someone died from the poison where I neutralized the Blood Poison.”
At her words, smiles spread across the teammates’ faces.
“Then let’s quickly loot and go secure the Seondongun.”
While they were looting the items dropped by the Stage 1 Dokkaebi and the squad they had ambushed, a new notification arrived.
[The summoned Guardian has killed 8 players and successfully defended the Seondong Stone. 59 lost guardians are being regenerated.]
Realizing that the Dokkaebi guarding the Seondong Stone would respawn after being killed, Seo-un’s mood brightened.
“But if we run into that Blue Dragon again…” Dump’s words made the team’s faces darken.
“Statistically, it’s not likely. And if it does appear, it’ll be marked on the map. As long as it doesn’t spawn right on top of us, we can handle it.”
Dump, now equipped with new pauldrons, nodded. As soon as they reached the edge of the island, the team began traveling via Seondongun, destroying every other Seondongun they spotted.
Remaining Seondongun: 299/400.
Two days after they shifted their playstyle to destroying the clouds, a notification made the team stiffen.
[Ding! A Buff Monster has been hunted. Glory to the Diana Squad!]
Seeing his grim-faced teammates, Seo-un spoke up. “Don’t worry about it. It was expected anyway.”
“But if we activate another Seondong Stone in this state, what happens? Will another Buff Mob be summoned?” Gi-chan asked.
Seo-un nodded. “Probably.”
“Then activating up to three Seondong Stones could strategically end up empowering other squads.”
“That’s true, but it also serves to incite more fighting. Regardless, we only need to secure at least one Seondong Stone. Once we finish monopolizing the Seondongun, we’ll hold an overwhelmingly advantageous position.”
While they continued their routine of resting on the outskirts of various islands and destroying Seondongun, another notification arrived stating that one of their Seondong Stones had been taken.
It was the 10th day of the game.
Survivors: 453. Seondongun: 100 left.
Seo-un’s squad alone had destroyed over 90 Seondongun. Now, they could fly all day and barely find a single Seondongun with a monkey riding it.
“I think we can assume there are no empty Seondongun left.”
“Likely. Lingwei, how many left for the Main Quest?”
“Four.”
“Good. From now on, let’s actively look for aerial combat.”
Since empty Seondongun had run out, they planned to target players already riding them.
“But isn’t it strange? There are fewer squads with Seondongun than I expected,” Gi-chan noted.
With 800 players starting and over 400 still remaining, the fact that only 100 Seondongun were left was definitely abnormal.
“Many players are likely concentrated on the Main Island. And many squads are probably trying to just hold one Seondong Stone to ensure they clear the game. As long as they hold one, survival and rewards are guaranteed.”
That was why Seo-un had insisted they secure at least one Seondong Stone. As they began a strategy meeting for aerial combat, various ideas for different positions were proposed. While they were discussing fluid positional strategies and more effective spells for the air, a new notification rang out.
[Ding! 80% of the Seondongun have been destroyed. The clone of the enraged Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, descends.]
[Ding! The Epic Monster, Clone of the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, has appeared. The game moves to Chapter 2.]
Surprised by the notification—likely triggered by a large battle elsewhere—Seo-un quickly opened the map.
“It’s near the first island.”
The purple, glowing location of the Epic Monster was revealed near where Seo-un’s squad had first landed.
“That speed is…” Gi-chan’s expression hardened as he watched the Epic Monster move ten times faster than the Seondongun players used.
“The difficulty of the last Epic Monster was already insane…”
Seo-un finished Gi-chan’s sentence. “It’s probably not meant to be caught.”
Despite saying that, everyone turned their expectant gazes toward Seo-un.
“But there’s a way, right?” Li Lingwei asked hopefully.
Seo-un grimaced. “Last time was pure luck. Do I look like I have a miracle up my sleeve? It’s the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven. I don’t know about your worlds, but in mine, he’s a reckless monkey demon who once tore through the Heavenly Realm.”
“We should land on a nearby island first. At this speed, we’ll run into it soon,” Gi-chan worried as he watched the purple dot rapidly approaching.
“Let’s set up on this island for now.”
As they flew toward a nearby island, Li Min asked:
—Is this Great Sage, Equal of Heaven really that great of a monster? Wouldn’t it be easier than a Nascent Soul? Besides, it’s just a clone, not the original.
Seo-un explained in terms Li Min could easily understand.
—He’s a demon who beats up Immortals if he doesn’t like the look of them.
—…
To martial artists, an Immortal was the ultimate, unimaginable stage—someone who had stepped into the legendary realm of Wuji and escaped the shackles of mortality. The thought of a force that could overwhelm such an Immortal left Li Min speechless.
The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven, huh…
Contrary to what he had told his teammates, Seo-un was already pondering a way to raid the Epic Monster.