Chapter 146: Welcome Bad Connection?!
— Using the fire spell is such a heavy burden.
— Hamit's words reminded Seo-woon of the times before his meeting with Ki-chan. Originally, he had planned to meet his family and then return to Wonju to work on the fire spell. However, due to the sudden news from the United States and his mother's pitiful state, he had to rush things and use the Fire Technique on the way to meet Ki-chan.
— Beep! Are you sure you want to use the Fire Technique? Using it can turn the user into ashes. If you are burned by the Fire Technique, your soul can be consumed by the flames and be lost forever.
He hesitated for a moment at the dire warning, but at this point, he couldn't give up an item worth 800 coins. The moment he pressed the button, the Bentley Juriell was driving jolted violently in the middle of the road and stopped abruptly.
— It squealed! Luckily, there weren't many vehicles on the road, so there was no collision.
Juriell and Li Ling-wei jumped out of the Bentley, which had stopped. At the same time, red flames gushed from the Bentley's windows, shattering the glass, and the two women's minds practically ground to a halt.
— Ding! The fire trial has begun.
Even as he saw his body burning and spitting flames, Seo-woon summoned all his inner strength and resisted.
"Don't try."
With just those two words in his mind, he didn't think fire could completely consume him. He survived that minute, which felt like a year, without uttering a single sound. He thought that if he screamed or showed any signs of pain, he would fail the fire trial. However, because he had thrown himself into the flames once before, he was able to withstand that hellish moment. Just when he thought he could no longer bear it, the raging flames vanished as if they were a lie.
— Ding! You have successfully passed the fire trial.
As a result of the trial, the back seat of Juriell's Bentley was completely charred, but the vehicle miraculously remained intact. Thanks to this, Seo-woon had become able to control fire for the time being.
— You can now use the first stage of Fright Flames, Fright Flames. *If used for more than 5 minutes, it will burn the user's body. — Fright Flames increases fire resistance by 99%. — The second stage, Fright Flames; the third stage, White Flames; and the final stage, Black Flames, will kill you the moment you use them. — Remembering that moment, Seo-woon ignored Hamit's words and released Yeonhwa. The crimson flames that started from his hands quickly spread to his shoulders and flared up in an instant.
Seo-woon rushed towards the gathered enemies and swung his fist at them.
— Hwa-ryeok!
With a loud roar, the flames that gushed from his fist grew larger and engulfed the gathered players. Despite the power of the flames, which instantly melted several barriers, the players gathered together to defend themselves against his attack.
As if they had expected an epic monster of this caliber, after the flames disappeared, they prepared to counterattack. As soon as the flames disappeared, Seo-woon, who had grown to twelve, suddenly lunged at the enemies.
"He can use clones! Be careful!"
Seo-woon's lips curled up at the shout from the enemy who seemed to know his abilities. He appeared to know about his clones, but in reality, he had no idea.
Having already used his clone once, Seo-woon deliberately used the flame of fear to protect his Senmaiki and crush his enemies, preventing them from distracting the firefighters conducting rescue operations behind them. This proved that he only had fragmentary knowledge of clones and had no idea that they could be used alternately or in conjunction with Muryunghwanbo. This point worked to Seo-woon's advantage when directing the battle.
The twelve Seo-woons fanned out and spewed flames in an instant; the enemies gathered on the sides, unable to counterattack, crouched and strengthened their defenses.
"Stupid bastards."
This alone revealed their level. When a small number of enemies launched a powerful attack, the majority would split into groups to defend and attack. They had even forgotten this basic strategy, dazzled by the appearance of Epic and charging forward relying solely on their numbers.
"He's fake!"
"So is this!"
As Seo-woon's deceptive forms disappeared along with the flames, warnings began to emanate from everywhere.
"Attack!"
At the same time, the person who seemed to be in charge shouted and unleashed a barrage of ice magic.
— Ki-chan!
— I'm coming!
Carefully blocking the entrance, Ki-chan waved his staff repeatedly, and double chain lightning and double summon lightning fell from the sky.
— Kwaaang!!
— Crackle!
— Clang!
As two chains of lightning spread through the clustered players, a bolt of lightning struck, causing the voltage to instantly rise.
— Crackle!
— Clang!
The Mirror Magic item Ki-chan had obtained from the vending machine in the previous game had the ability to copy the user's magic and execute it identically.
Satisfied with the item's power, Ki-chan's lips curved upwards in a smile. At the same time, Seo-woon, who had also been electrocuted by the chain lightning, extended two fingers, and ten streams of energy pierced through the enemy formation.
"Knights!"
Although the mages frantically searched for the knights, the knights electrocuted by the high-voltage magic moved slowly. For them, lacking the same magical power as Seo-woon, this was a natural consequence. And that brief moment was far too long for Seo-woon.
"Kraaaah!"
"Stop! Stop!"
By the time the two knights blocked Seo-woon's path, using their auras to shield the slicing mages, most of the mages had already been cut down.
"We have about 10 seconds to withstand the flames!"
Seo-woon's mouth twisted slightly in response to Hamit's words.
"That's enough."
It seemed absurd that they would attempt to hunt him down by relying on just two knights. Seeing the two knights charging towards him, Seo-woon withdrew his ki, and the flames that rose from his hands to his shoulders flared fiercely.
"Aaaah!"
At the same time, the flames that enveloped the area spread among the players who hadn't yet finished setting up their barriers.
"Don't come any closer!"
The flames easily spread to several people and instantly engulfed the players' bodies. The unstoppable first-stage fear flames were clearly different from ordinary flames and were especially effective against groups.
While most of the players had been burned to death and the situation was under control, Seo-woon, who had withdrawn the fear flames, surrounded the remaining enemies. The remaining eight enemies gritted their teeth when they saw the twelve Seo-woons.
"Eleven of them are fake!"
The enemy shouted and prepared an area-of-effect spell, while thick wooden vines grabbed the ankles of the eight. Juriell had cast an area-of-effect spell from afar. Just in case, a few guards were placed around the firefighters. He had set up a barrier, and before the enemies could react to his magic, Seo-woon passed through them.
"Guh."
"Guh."
Two final groans rang out simultaneously as six heads fell to the ground. The four players died instantly before they could even scream. Only the two knights managed to block Seo-woon's attack, but their armor was torn into five long strips. The two knights' faces paled when they saw the marks that looked like animal claw marks. The knights, who resisted Ki-chan and Seo-woon's attacks a little longer, finally had their heads fall to the ground.
"Except for the two knights, the rest are all wing-level."
"That's how guilds are. The number of high-level players is small. That's why they're trying to outnumber you."
While not entirely true, from a Crown-ranked player's perspective, it wasn't entirely wrong either. After all, most of them were lower-ranked players, except for those who were Crown-ranked themselves.
Unless you were at least a high-ranking Sword-ranked player, stopping a top-tier Crown-ranked player was nearly impossible. The difference in tokens was so large that it was difficult to overcome in real life unless you possessed exceptional skills. If you had such a skill, you wouldn't be at a lower level in the first place.
"Too bad you can't collect loot."
Seo-woon smiled at his words. Smiling, he turned over the old sack he was carrying. Ki-chan's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the items spilling out.
"What's this?"
"I acquired a useful skill from Hamit."
While blocking the enemies' vision with flames, Seo-woon spun Hamit's skill wheel just in case. This wheel, which only gave useless skills in important battles, had finally produced a useful one.
— Hamill's Hands, Better Than Eyes Fast. If the attack is successful, there's a chance that an opponent's randomly unequipped item will be stolen and placed in Hamill's bag.
*If the opponent is killed in the first attack, a randomly equipped item will be stolen.
When he explained the skill he'd acquired, Ki-chan's smile widened even further. Because the percentage of players dying from Seo-woon's first attack was overwhelmingly high, especially among mages.
"I'll make sure to get the items at full price, so don't get too excited."
"It's still good. If I can get cash-value accessories, I'll make a profit. But… no high-level items this time."
When he showed Ki-chan the sword, which had good options and defenses, with a damaged breastplate and a dull blade, Ki-chan shook his head.
"I don't like knight items. They're too heavy and cumbersome."
Seo-woon agreed but couldn't say anything else in his current situation. After quickly checking the items, Seo-woon picked up a few accessories and pieces of armor and approached the firefighters who had rescued the children.
Ki-chan opened the entrance and, hesitant to join the fight, watched Li Ling-wei and the others rescue the children and check their well-being. The eight children and two unconscious adults were all out of breath.
"The situation is clear, so we can't continue helping. These will be useful. Please return them when you're finished."
Milo translated his words into his headset. The firefighters looked at the accessories and armor Seo-woon handed them in surprise.
"These items increase strength and agility. Just this ring increases strength by 20. If you wear it, your strength will probably triple."
By now, almost no Earthlings were left who didn't know about Cloyd, but such items were still not widely used. With an expression of disbelief, a firefighter placed the ring he'd received from Seo-woon on his finger.
"Huh?"
— Kiiing!
The firefighter, who had just lifted a concrete block the size of a human torso attached to a steel bar and dropped it next to him, looked at the ring in astonishment.
"This can't be!"
"I hope this helps you escape safely. We can't evacuate you."
"That's more than enough help. Even now, our colleagues are breaking through the police blockade to get here. Off-duty firefighters from California are also coming to assist in the rescue. The item you gave us will definitely save many lives. May I know your name?"
"Jin Seo-woon. Please… stay safe."
"Don't worry. It's been heard that the special forces unit secretly trained by the government will be deployed in the fifth wave."
He didn't know how many special forces they had trained, but Seo-woon didn't think they would be much use.
Closing the gap between players who could instantly learn skills through items and the reserves who had to spend years mastering a single technique required a significant amount of time. But there was no need to tell the firefighters such things.
In fact, he'd planned to make sure they never set foot on this map again. But even in the face of life-threatening danger, they were focused solely on saving lives; their eyes were resolute even amidst piles of corpses.
Seo-woon couldn't bring himself to tell them such a story. They were only slightly stronger than ordinary humans, had no special abilities, yet they were conducting rescue operations on this dangerous survival game map; it seemed no different from their usual job of rushing into fires and rescuing people.
He felt he had no right to stop them, as they were performing their duties naturally. As he parted ways with them, Ki-chan looked through Carmen's eyes at their retreat route.
"There are no players nearby right now. Be careful, though."
The firefighter translating for Ki-chan spoke in a friendly tone.
"Yes. May God be with you."
At this, firefighters wearing various otherworldly accessories and chest armor belts began evacuating the children. Seo-woon and his group watched them go with worried eyes for a moment before moving off again.
How far had they run? After about 20 kilometers, Seo-woon's new car suddenly stopped. Of course, Juriell, Ki-chan, and Li Ling-wei, who were following behind, also stopped. Seo-woon frowned and glared at the group of people watching warily in the distance.
"Let's get this over with quickly."
In response to his cold voice, Li Ling-wei nodded first and released from her subspace the poison her grandfather had given her in the last game. It was a blood poison that only passed on to the family heir.
This poison, which amplified the poisonous energy of those trained in Jin-dok-gok's poison techniques, was essential for the family's secret training.
She remembered her grandfather, who, despite not being the clan leader's heir, had secretly bequeathed the item to his grandsdaughter who was destined for another world. Just as she was about to open the poison bottle, someone on the other side raised their hand first, signaling they had no intention of attacking.
"We have no intention of fighting! Jin Seo-woon! Please listen to us!"
Hearing his loud words, Seo-woon softened his stance and approached them to within 10 meters. Just in case, he didn't close the distance any further and held his position.
"We're not ordinary hunters. You're definitely here to help the people of your world, right?"
Seo-woon nodded in response, and the man in leather armor and thin rapiers, whose strength was hard to estimate, breathed a sigh of relief.
"We're here to protect civilians. We're protecting this hideout in place of the guild members who went to rescue civilians."
Seo-woon glanced at Ki-chan as the man surveyed the small gym.
— Check.
Ki-chan's eyes, which had turned green for a moment, returned to normal, and the voice of the team was heard.
— There are more than 200 civilians inside.
After listening to his briefing, Seo-woon approached his opponent.
"I'm Jin Seo-woon."
"I know. You're a ranked player and… an epic monster. I'm quite surprised that a player was designated an epic monster."
"I completed the same game in another world, so I'm not that surprised. That's actually what I expected."
At those words, the faces of the man and the players behind him paled.
"Which world was it!"
"It was the world of warriors."
The players' expressions changed with his words. Looking at them, Seo-woon continued.
"There's a high probability that a game with the same rules is being played in your world."
"!!!"
"Where was it in our world!" A weak warrior stepped forward and asked with a hopeless expression on his face.
"It was in Gangbuk Palju."
At his words, the warrior who had asked the question frowned. Seo-woon couldn't give him any more details. He didn't know any more than that, and he didn't want to cause her any more despair. A man, sensing the heavy atmosphere, stepped forward and spoke.
"I've heard a lot about you from Commander Jurok."
Seo-woon's eyes narrowed at those words.
"Commander Jurok?"
The man responded with a bitter smile and nodded.
"I heard you two have a record of one win and one loss as enemies. However, the captain said she didn't want to face you as enemies in this game."
Seo-woon understood what she meant immediately.
"That… I agree. That probably won't happen, so there's no need to worry."
Seo-woon's words made the man smile and nod. After asking around for a while about the surroundings and the current situation, the man said something interesting.
"There are quite a few players who oppose hunting ordinary humans, but even among them, there are factions. We have our defense group, led by Captain Cho, and our attack group, led by Senruk. There are players in both groups, so please be careful."
"Is Senruk here?"
"Yes. His participation in this round was a great opportunity for Earth. His influence is truly immense, and many players couldn't help but join his ranks. The battle would have been much fiercer without him."
Seo-woon didn't know whether to be happy or saddened by this new information. His last fierce battle with Senruk flashed before his eyes like a movie.
"Huh."
"We don't think the same way, so we don't cooperate with him, but… Lately, there have been a lot of voices in our group suggesting we change our ways and follow him. Quite a few players are secretly working on our side, pretending to protect civilians while actually taking their lives."
His friends' expressions hardened at those words. With such influential figures uniting the players with their powerful influence, it seemed that clever criminals would emerge, pretending to collude with them while waiting for an opportunity to kill ordinary people.
This was disturbing, because there was nothing they could do until they were exposed. As his story ended, Seo-woon's left eye turned red. In his left field of vision, he could see the energy of the players, and when he concentrated his senmaiki, he could also see the blood they had shed in this world.
He concentrated once more. At that moment, he saw someone covered in blood, filled with intense hatred. When Seo-woon focused on the spiteful energy around him, he saw brief fragments of memories within that hatred.
*— I wish you'd died quickly! You bitch! — Please… save me. *
Although it was very brief, Seo-woon confirmed the energy of the hatred that remained within him with just that fragment of memory, and when his eyes returned to normal, the man tilted his head to the side.
"What did you do? Why did you look at our team member like that…?"
"I was worried about the blood on his body, so I tried a little projection."
"You have that ability too!"
Instead of answering, he just nodded slightly in confirmation and kept his words brief, so the man didn't ask any more questions about his abilities. Swallowing hard, he turned to the team member Seo-woon was staring at with red eyes and asked.
"So… That guy was good, right?"
As he spoke, the team member saw the man slowly reach for his rapier and raised both hands, speaking before Seo-woon.
"That's nonsense! It's impossible for him to have the ability to see the past!"
"Kale. There are priests who can see the future, so it doesn't make sense for him not to have that ability."
Hearing his words, the man shrugged and approached his with exaggerated gestures, insisting on his innocence.
"It's not fair! I've never killed an ordinary person!"
— Bang!
"Guh!"
As the man approached, he collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from his mouth, and the man, who had already sheathed Ray Pier, shook his head.
"Kale. He never said he killed an ordinary person."
At the man's words, the man with holes in his neck and heart, his black blood flowing, raised his head and looked at Seo-woon.
— Thump.
At the same time, his head fell to the ground. While the man's teammates stared in surprise at what had suddenly happened, Seo-woon remembered the actions of the man who had mocked rapier with an expressionless face.
The speed with which he drew his sword and stabbed, and the moment it pierced his opponent's body, a brief flash of flame flashed at the tip. And then, with such natural speed, the sword returned to its original position.
Juriell, who hadn't been properly trained in martial arts, could only register the man sprinting past Kale. Ki-chan, impressed by the man's considerable skill, spoke up.
"You said to be careful of those who wear armor but have weak defenses, even if they carry swords. I saw it with my own eyes and I believed it."
"I was embarrassed in front of the Crown Rankers."
"That technique. I've seen it twice before. I've fought countless knights and met many more, but I've only seen a knight who used rapier once. What's your relationship with Gwang-gun?"
Seeing Seo-woon suddenly lower his tone and raise his hands, the man raised his hands in return.
"Don't misunderstand. I didn't hide it on purpose. It's not common for people to talk about their abilities with other players, right? I'm just his half-brother. We're not close, so there's no need to be so cautious."
Seo-woon noticed the fleetingly complicated expression on his face and lowered his guard.
"The situation seems complicated. We've spent more time than we expected, so it's best we part ways here."
After finishing his words, Seo-woon turned around and walked away with his friends.