< Chapter 150: Annihilation >
The collapse of the tall buildings, exploding from their rooftops one after another, was like a scene unfolding in slow motion for Seo-woon and his comrades.
The white hellfire that consumed the building floor by floor finally engulfed the upper floors where Seo-woon was clinging.
—Bang!
The summoned Hellfire engulfed more than half of the skyscraper, which was estimated to be over 40 stories tall, before vanishing in its wake, leaving behind a wave of intense heat.
Hellfire, the 8th Circle's most powerful fire spell.
Despite being cast with a scroll of magic, its power was truly terrifying. Although the distance between them was considerable, several layers of barriers had melted away, and the ice spell Juriell had flung in all directions was only half-effective. She barely managed to protect the group from the heat.
"—Seo-woon!" Ki-chan was the first to leap forward. Seeing him leap forward, Lilingwei dispersed the smoke that was obscuring her vision with a wind spell, and then she collapsed to the ground as if her legs had been severed.
Juriell was muttering to herself, her hands trembling as she clutched her staff tightly. "—It'll be fine… It'll be fine…"
As Ki-chan ran forward, he spotted a black silhouette through the smoke swirling in the wind.
"—Hyung?" Cautiously, Ki-chan raised his staff in a defensive stance, but a familiar voice called out to him. "—Do you have anything extra to wear?"
Tears welled up in Ki-chan's eyes, and he rushed towards Seo-woon, hugging him tightly. "—Hyung!"
"—Ah, wait… Hey!"
Unable to embrace him, Seo-woon pushed him away, embarrassed by his nakedness. "
—I don't have that kind of hobby, so stay away from me."
Only then did Ki-chan realize Seo-woon was naked. He blushed, handing him the extra clothes he had hidden in his pocket. Black jeans that clung to his legs, a black sleeveless T-shirt, and a black leather jacket…
The two women, along with Seo-woon, dressed in all black, ran towards him, terrified. Seo-woon's face immediately flushed as he hugged the two women who were hugging him at the same time.
"—Let me go…" Seo-woon couldn't continue as he felt the two women trembling. After hugging each other for a while, the two women let go of Seo-woon, their faces flushed.
"—You scared me so much!" Lilingwei muttered to herself as she inspected Seo-woon's body. Juriell, still holding on tightly to his arm, spoke with tears in her eyes. "
—How did you survive Hellfire, considered the strongest fire spell?"
"—After obtaining 'Fire,' my fire resistance increased to 99%, so it only felt lukewarm."
Juriell's mouth fell open at how casual Seo-woon spoke. The 8th Circle is the highest level all sorcerers dream of reaching, and the highest level humans can realistically reach.
Only the 9th Circle, recorded in history, is inaccessible except to those chosen by heaven at birth; the 10th Circle is unattainable except to those chosen by heaven at birth.
The Circle, on the other hand, is considered pure fantasy left over from legends. Therefore, the 8th Circle was the highest reality a mage could achieve. It was only natural to be surprised when Seo-woon described Hellfire, the 8th Circle's most powerful fire spell, as if it were a warm bath.
"—Hyung… Hellfire is the 8th Circle's most powerful fire spell."
Seo-woon tilted his head in response to Ki-chan's explanation. "—This? It's nothing compared to Meteor."
"—Well… Their units are different. Even though they're from the same circle, one is a wide area spell, and the other is a personal spell."
"—Thanks to my fire resistance, I didn't take much damage. But… This was a well-planned trap." Seo-woon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the half-collapsed building. "
—I never imagined they would use mages who cast Kharats as bait."
Juriell's expression darkened at Ki-chan's answer. "—The fact that they've made it this far might mean the spells are nearing completion. And the Hellfire Scroll… In this game, where farming is impossible, the only way to obtain it is…"
Before he could finish, Seo-woon walked over to Helper, who was hiding in a corner, still reeling from the shock of Hellfire. Just as Helper looked at him with questioning eyes, Seo-woon spoke up. "—Summon the vending machine."
Helper nodded and summoned the vending machine, then read off the items one by one. "
—… Hellfire Scroll. Available in constructible and instant versions for 350 coins. Next up is…"
After hearing the remaining items, Seo-woon and his friends' faces contorted. Even in this game's vending machine, there were so many items that it would make one's eyes pop out. Using 350 blue coins for a single-use scroll wasn't an easy decision.
"—Roy Miller." The only person who could make such a decision was the person systematically managing this mess. "
—You think using blue tokens to destroy Beverly Hills is more profitable."
Looking at it coolly, he was right in terms of the number of tokens. If tokens didn't cost human lives, Seo-woon would have done the same. A few hundred blue tokens could yield hundreds of thousands of tokens.
Even if you added up all the tokens Seo-woon had accumulated through quick wins, it wouldn't even come close to tens of thousands. But tens of thousands of tokens in one go? That was a dizzying amount.
"—We have to kill him quickly. He's dangerous. Who knows what he'll do next?" Up until now, Seo-woon had only been in the position of setting traps and hunting prey. So he could immediately tell that the enemy's trap was a well-planned hunting strategy. "—He's familiar with these kinds of strategies."
One player knows another. No matter what game they were playing, Seo-woon's favorite game was hunting. From a third-person perspective, it's easy to see and mimic, but actually trapping people and gaining an advantage wasn't as easy as it sounds.
"—He's spent most of his life on the battlefield. He's especially famous for his strategies that lure enemies into traps and turn the tide of battle."
Seo-woon nodded in agreement at Juriell's answer. "—Let's get moving and find a player who can contact Gwang-gun. Then, we'll move on to the third objective."
The original plan was to block this place, leave the rest to Gwang-gun, and look for a shelter where his aunt might be.
However, when he realized that this place, which had to be protected at all costs, was being used as bait to set a trap, he realized the situation was worse than he'd thought and that he needed to stop Kharz faster than he'd planned. Even a single Meteor hitting Beverly Hills would cause unimaginable damage.
***
Seo-woon and his group were running over the cars blocking the road, stepping on their roofs, moving as fast as they could, not even bothering to use their invisibility cloaks. At this point, it didn't matter whether they were enemies or allies; encountering any player was important, so there was no reason to stay hidden.
When they were a few kilometers away from where the Third Khatz was being built, they heard the sound of intense battle in the distance.
—Kva-kva-kva!
—Kuh-ha-ha-ha!
—Puff!
"—Kill them!"
"—Don't step back!"
"—Keep an eye on them!"
Hearing the intense sounds of battle, Seo-woon and his team immediately rushed to the battlefield. The situation was neck and neck. Enemy and allied reinforcements were coming from all directions, with both sides fighting as if for their lives.
Several figures stood out on the battlefield: Berus and Skers, who were pushing the enemy back in the front lines, and Senruk, who was busy commanding in the middle.
Also, Roy Miller, who looked like he was about to be torn apart, was leading a small strike force, fighting fiercely left and right. Sword Emperors like Berus were masters of evasion, and when they spotted a strong enough enemy, they would quickly rush in with their strike force, slash their enemies' necks, and retreat.
Quickly assessing the situation on the battlefield, Seo-woon raised his sword and donned a suit of armor made of black dragon scales from subspace.
As soon as he used his magic, his long blond hair extended beyond his helmet, and his body grew to twice its original size. The moment his brown eyes turned blue, he called out to his team. "—Prioritize safety above all else."
Leaving those words behind, Seo-woon charged onto the battlefield, wielding the bastard sword-transformed Hamit. With a kick at the shattered carriage, it flew through the air, crashing into a fledgling Sword Emperor who was about to finish off a knight.
"—Shu-gang!" The knight who had flown toward him, instantly splitting the carriage larger than his body into several pieces, glanced at the blond-haired, blue-eyed knight and curled the corners of his lips.
—Kakakang! Seeing Seo-woon resisting the aura with sword energy rising like heat waves from the Bastard Sword, the knight launched a series of powerful attacks. It was only natural that the knight's movements gradually escalated, as he imagined that he could shatter his barely resisting enemy with his aura at any moment.
"—Kang!" The knight's mouth twitched as Seo-woon's sword was pushed upwards by the knight's attack from below.
—Kagak! He twisted his body to block the sword's thrust against his chest with his shoulder, and although clumsily, the sword couldn't penetrate his aura-encrusted armor and was repelled.
—Tukang!
At that moment, Seo-woon slammed into his opponent's chest with his other shoulder. A glint appeared in the eyes of the knight who was being pushed back. "
—This is no ordinary armor!"
Thanks to the magic, it looked like ordinary armor, but that didn't mean the Black Dragon's scales had become ordinary.
The Sword Emperor wouldn't overlook the value of that armor, which could ward off aura. His eyes filled with greed, and he charged towards Seo-woon again.
Amidst the barrage of magic and the enemies closing in from all directions, Seo-woon and the knight fought fiercely for a while. As Seo-woon, despite his inferior skills, slowly destroyed his armor with the help of his items, the knight grew impatient.
Amidst the fierce battle, the moment Seo-woon had been waiting for finally arrived. The enemy players split into two and charged towards Roy Miller and his eight-man strike force, who had filled the battlefield and continued their fierce fight, landing right in front of Seo-woon.
"—I've been waiting for this, you bastard!" The knight, who had clumsily pressed Seo-woon with his aura-encrusted sword, was about to swing his warhammer when Seo-woon suddenly jumped to his side, swinging his bastard sword and unleashing a blast of energy from his blade.
In an instant, Seo-woon crushed the enemy's sword with overwhelming force and pierced his heart with a single blow.
—CHOO!
Grabbing the knight impaled on his sword like a skewer, Seo-woon parried the enemy's war hammer; in the process, the knight's body impaled on the sword exploded and scattered in all directions.
Roy Miller's expression crumpled as he saw Seo-woon suddenly reveal his true abilities. Just as he was about to retreat, Seo-woon's attackers surrounded him and attacked in unison.
—Hva-rük! Puh-ah-ah! At that moment, flames erupted from Seo-woon's shoulders and spread out in an instant.
—Kagagang! The man who had blocked Seo-woon's attack with his defensive skill swiftly parried Seo-woon's attack by spewing red light from his entire body.
"—Kiraaah!" Even after the flames subsided, the fire clinging to his body refused to extinguish, and as he rolled on the ground in pain, the man glanced at his wounded comrades and began to retreat.
"—This is dangerous." Deliberately concealing his true power to trap him. This alone was enough for him to realize that engaging in direct conflict with him would not end well.
On the contrary, Seo-woon, who used his special technique to lure the enemy into a trap, wasn't about to let him go easily.
Seeing the enemy retreat and slam the ground with his hammer, Seo-woon called out to Hamit. "—Hamit!"
"—Understood."
In an instant, Hamit reverted to his original form and wrapped himself around Seo-woon's hand, and at that moment, a powerful energy erupted from Seo-woon's fingers.
"—What?!" The surprised enemy swung his hammer at Seo-woon the moment he slammed the ground for the third time.
—Bang! Instead of powerful energy, Seo-woon met the hammer with his fist, and instead of being pushed back, the man's body tumbled and he was violently thrown backward.
—Skill Reflect. This was a skill he had prepared in advance by turning the dial as he came forward. Faster than eyes could steal the item, Hamit's next skill, Skill Reflect, activated. This skill reflects the opponent's skill when used to directly attack and neutralize them.
Seo-woon quickly caught up with the man who was flying backwards as if caught in a storm, and extended his hand towards the man's back as he tried to regain his balance.
"—Kaguk!" Even then, the enemy blocked the powerful blow with a defensive skill. However, even though the powerful blow was blocked by sparks, Seo-woon pushed and dragged the fallen enemy. The enemy, half buried in the asphalt, turned its body and swung its hammer, deflected Seo-woon's powerful energy. Miller's armor cracked like a spider's web.
"—Who are you?" Surprise flashed across Miller's face as he saw the knight using Jin Seo-woon's technique with a completely different face. Facing an enemy trying to stall for time by talking, he wasn't about to match his rhythm.
—Hva-rük! With his vision filled with flames, the enemy gritted his teeth and swung his warhammer. The swinging flame split in two, dodging the enemy and scorching nearby players.
Some managed to block it with their skills, but most barely survived by tearing through healing scrolls and extinguishing the flames with ice magic. Those who reacted too slowly were instantly reduced to charred corpses. The flames indiscriminately targeted both friend and foe, and the players began to back away from the duo.
Seo-woon's blood and bone formation, which rushed in, obscuring the enemy's vision with flames, gradually increased its power, applying pressure to the enemy, causing him to frown.
Sensing Berus's presence from afar, the enemy knew they were doomed and, gritting their teeth, teleported. The enemy used their final teleportation skill, which they could only use eight times a day, and Seo-woon reacted immediately as his new form instantly moved backwards. Seo-woon, who had already anticipated his teleportation via Hwaganggeumjeong, watched his energy.
When the enemy disappeared right in front of him, Berus stared in surprise at the crowded battlefield, but Seo-woon turned in one direction and began running through the enemies.
"—Stop him!"
"—We can't stop him! Just clear the way!"
—Whoosh! Even the vast numbers of players gathered couldn't stop Seo-woon, who unleashed ten powerful energy streams like an explosion. The path quickly cleared, and Miller could be seen in the distance.
Miller, who had been observing the battlefield with his crooked eyes, recovering from spells and reinforcements, suddenly looked towards the chaos and widened his eyes. Seo-woon, his blond hair flowing and engulfed in flames, looked like a demon straight out of hell as he charged forward.
"—Damn!" —Bang! Bang! Bang!
He slammed down and charged forward, but before he could catch up, Seo-woon's attacks rained down on him. Seo-woon, his left eye stained red, smiled as he pushed Miller back.
Focusing on his enemy and protecting his Hwa-an-geum-jeong, he could predict his enemy's next move as if he had read his mind. After repeatedly neutralizing and pushing him back with his one-shot skills, the battlefield began to erupt in a frenzy.
With the departure of the man who led the strike force and barely maintained the balance on the battlefield, and the arrival of Seo-woon's group, it was only natural that the balance would collapse.
The shock of being trapped, still fresh, and his mass killing ability were unmatched. His single-handed attack, specializing in destroying weak and crowded enemies, quickly dominated the battlefield.
"—Who are you?!!"
Seo-woon's powerful energy pierced Miller's chest as he shouted. Using the Mulinguanbao he'd been saving for the decisive moment, he pierced his enemy's weak spot, and blood gushed from his mouth.
"—Just die."
—Slap! The five streams of energy that had pierced his chest spread through Seo-woon's fingers, and his body shattered into pieces, ending his life.
"—Everyone retreat!"
Someone shouted. "
—Stay alive until the meteor strikes! We need the tokens…"
—Kwaak! The man giving the orders couldn't finish his sentence as his head was split in two by Berus's sword.
"—Sweep them away!"
The mad warrior, having gained the advantage, did not allow the enemies to escape. Thanks to his relentless pursuit and killing of the fleeing enemies, almost all of them were destroyed, except for a few who managed to escape via teleportation.