Chapter 169: New Game: Siege War
With a familiar feeling, the scene transformed into an empty waiting room. The sky above the gloomy waiting room was filled with unusually thick clouds and colorful lights.
They created a dim atmosphere instead of bright sunlight. It wasn't hard to spot Dump and Limmin among the slowly emerging players.
"Seo-woon!" Limmin greeted Seo-woon, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, warmly. Not only Seo-woon's group, but also Ryle and Jin-ryong approached Dump and Limmin.
By the time Namsa-gwang finally approached the group, Seo-woon's regular quartet was complete.
"What's going on? Why suddenly a penalty game?" Seo-woon asked when Namsagwang arrived.
"I'm in the 58th match, Limmin in the 59th. I thought we should have started playing, but we were forced into a penalty game."
Seo-woon frowned at Dump's words. This was much lower than the threshold he'd set for himself. "Still, it's good that we're together. It would have been difficult if we'd been separated." Ryle smiled affirmatively and said in a cheerful voice.
"Ryle's right. It's good that we're all participating together." Ki-chan joined in to lighten the serious atmosphere. However, Seo-woon frowned and said in a low voice.
"As I said before, penalty games have penalty rules. I don't know what kind of game it will be, but we should prioritize punishment."
Limmin and Dump held rather important positions in their quad. Dump was the team's sole knight, responsible for protecting the mage and defending the team.
Limmin assisted Dump or engaged him in close combat, sometimes acting as a lookout. After all, they couldn't lose these two people they'd been working with for years and developing chemistry with.
Their expressions hardened at the mention of penalty rules. He wanted to tell them not to worry, but it didn't seem like a coincidence that all members of a quad could participate in penalty games. Such a perfect coincidence was unlikely to happen again.
"Operator."
The operator's own penalty play, which could only be described as a 'snipe' (a targeted attack), flashed through his mind. As silence settled over the solemn atmosphere, Ryle glanced around. He broke the uncomfortable silence. "The waiting room is quite large. With so many people, there must be quite a few players this time."
Seo-woon finally glanced around the waiting room and nodded at Ryle's words. Seo-woon, who had lost his composure when a teammate was dragged into penalty play instead, tried to calm down and regain his composure. "I can't drag myself." With that thought, he quickly scanned the waiting room filled with players.
The forest looked the same as always, but it had a more somber atmosphere than any he'd seen before. More precisely, the trees that filled the forest, showing no signs of life, caught Seo-woon's attention. "Has anyone ever seen trees like this before?"
No one answered Seo-woon's question. No one had ever seen trees like this before, with their wrinkled, sharp brown leaves, looking as if they were about to wither and die. Only then did Seo-woon look down at the ground. The ground, composed of dark gray and black soil, was also unfamiliar.
"I've never seen land like this before…" Seo-woon glanced at his teammates. His sentence hung in the air.
His eyes were fixated on a single point. Seo-woon turned his head in their direction and, upon seeing a familiar woman approaching, tilted his head in surprise.
"Ah!" He thought he'd seen her somewhere before. When he saw Nam Sa-gwang's expression, he remembered her clearly.
"Bad luck is bad luck," the woman responded to Nam Sa-gwang's words in her characteristically cold voice. "Who are you to say that!"
The Ice Princess of Byeongjeong approached the group. She was accompanied by the current lord of Byeongjeong Castle. She had previously worn a flowing blue silk dress, but now she was wearing a tight uniform, so he didn't recognize her at first glance. The uniform appeared to be made of leather, revealing her curves, and her ten fingers were covered in rings.
The bracelets and necklaces around her wrists and neck were slightly lopsided. "I didn't think you'd reached the top already."
"I'm already White Sword. I'll be coming to your place soon, so we'll see each other often." Behind Binghu, Bingjeseong Lord Neung-sang-ah stood next to Binghu, looking at Seo-woon.
Seo-woon sensed a strange sense of triumph in his eyes. He nodded. "Just two of you?"
"In this game." Seo-woon was about to say something when a familiar notification sound was heard.
-Thank you to everyone who participated in Cloyd Survival Game.
-5,000 users connected. The Cloyd Survival Game has started.
-Language synchronization rate… 23%… 87%… 100% complete. -Game started.
Difficulty: Medium-High.
Conquer at least one castle or join a lord's quartet. Attacks between players are invalid in the current waiting room.
-The designated map is Asura's Refuge. Rewards will be distributed to players according to their rank, starting with the lord.
-This game lasts 300 days, and every day at midnight, the map outside the castles will be active for 30 minutes. Time on this map runs at a 50:1 ratio compared to real time. This game continues until the last player or the final four combines all the castles, or until the game time ends. Losers or eliminated players will return to the original world.
*Quads of up to 1,000 players can be formed in this game. You can change your quartet at any time during the game.
*The game will start in 30 minutes. Players who die before reaching the top 2,500 will lose their right to participate in the next game. We wish you all the best.
When the game rules were explained, players filling the waiting room began to stir. "This is a new rule for me." Nang-sang-a nodded at Binghu's words. "Yeah. It looks similar to the demon world map from before." From Nang-sang-a's words, Seo-woon realized there were many maps he hadn't experienced yet.
Seo-woon immediately looked at Dump and Limmin.
-What are the punishment rules?
Binghu, standing nearby, Seo-seol-hee and Seong-joo Nang-sang-ah asked over the team voice chat. The two responded with serious expressions.
-Get into the top 1,000. And… Dump couldn't finish his sentence, so Limmin interrupted.
"You must betray the quartet you're affiliated with at least once." The team members' expressions froze at Limmin's words. Binghu, sensing the sudden change in the atmosphere, spoke up. "What's going on?"
"It's our quartet's business, so don't worry."
When Nam Sanggwang interrupted him, Binghu frowned. He was about to speak when Nang-sang-ah stepped forward. "Elder Sir. Please accept me and Bing-gong into your quartet." Seo-woon thought Binghu would fly into a rage at any moment, but surprisingly, Binghu pretended not to notice and looked away.
"I'm not the leader of our quartet. Tell this to me." When Namsa-gwang looked at Seo-woon and said this, Binghu and Nang-sang-ah looked at Seo-woon in surprise. No one knew better than Binghu Seo-seol-hee that Namsa-gwang wasn't someone who trusted anyone.
It was hard to believe that someone who had lived their entire life alone would follow someone else. "If you join the four, I'll accept you, so wait." Seo-woon, feeling uncomfortable under the gaze of the two women, said this and quickly started to formulate a plan.
-Everyone, activate the map.
- There are 50 castles on the map. They are all different sizes and locations. After Ryle spoke, Jin-ryong continued.
- The castles on the map are all different colors. - Tap the castles! Juriell said as if he'd just discovered something.
Seo-woon quickly clicked on the castles marked on the map. "Is that how it works?"
"The green ones are unowned castles. The red ones are owned castles." "So, if we enter an empty castle first, will we be able to control it?"
"I think so." Dump and Limmin, who were looking at the map with serious expressions, cautiously joined the conversation.
"I think we should start this game with a different quad."
"I agree. I'm worried about the penalty rule." The two of them said as they watched the players gather in the waiting room to find their guild members. "You don't need to worry. That penalty rule is a trap."
Seeing the two of them look serious, Seo-woon said indifferently as if it were no big deal. "A trap?!" Surprised, Dump opened his mouth without thinking. Binghu and Nang-sang-ah's eyes focused on Dump. Avoiding the two women's gazes, he quickly turned around and asked again over the team voice chat.
"What do you mean?"
"Think about the rules of this game. You can change your quad at any time. This probably means capturing the castle your team leader owns and leaving your team. When there are 50 castles, there's no need to follow that rule." This is a mission that can be completed at any time. There's no need to take risks by starting with a different team from the start.
Oh. At Seo-woon's words, the two women's expressions changed slightly. They felt like they'd been played by someone else, almost falling for the clever penalty rule. After discussing some more strategy in the team voice chat, Seo-woon welcomed Binghu and Nangsang-ah as team members.
As soon as the two women joined the team, a new notification arrived.
-The main reward for this game has been announced. [Player Revival Right][Seonryeongdan][Metis' Ring][Twilight Necklace][Miracle Protection]
-The main quest has been announced.
[Tururu] "I knew it would be like this."
Binghu asked Seo-woon. "What do you mean?"
"This game is actually a game where everyone can survive. They wouldn't just set rules like that and let all the players survive quietly."
"Can everyone survive?"
"Quads of up to 1,000 players can be formed, and there are 50 castles. Theoretically, if you stay in your lord's quad, the game will naturally end after 300 days, and everyone will survive."
"But if you don't make it into the top 2,500…
Ah!" Binghu finally let out a cry of realization. The rule of the game wasn't to rank in the top 2,500. It was to not die before reaching 2,500. "Of course, if everyone survives peacefully, there's no reward."
"But I'm sure many players were forced to participate in this game because of the penalty rule."
"Punishment rule?"
"Players forced to betray the quartet they were affiliated with. This is probably the operator's plan to ensure everyone doesn't survive."
Just as Binghu was about to respond to Seo-woon's words, the final notification sounded.
-Soon, you'll share your vision through Argas's eyes. With Argas's vision splitting the sky, you can land safely anywhere you want by yelling "Land!"
We hope you can obtain many items in the locations you want. Those who don't land by the end will automatically land at the final destination, so please be careful.
-Game preparations in progress…
-Game starting…
As soon as the notification ended, the scenery changed. A bleak ground spread out before them.
-Everyone, check your ping. We're landing at that castle. Seo-woon's pin was on a medium-sized castle outside, isolated from the other 50 castles. Behind it was a thousand-meter cliff, and in front of it was a large lake. Connected to the mainland by only a single bridge, the castle was a natural fortress.
Seo-woon shouted among the constantly falling players. "Landing!" Not only Seo-woon's party, but countless players also fell into the castle Seo-woon was targeting. "Brother! There are too many! More than 30!" Seo-woon quickly issued orders based on Ki-chan and Limmin's briefing.
"No need to count heads! Just focus on landing first! When you land, take your positions and prepare for battle!" Soon, Seo-woon was the first to land at the inner castle. His teammates followed one by one, and Seo-woon, Jin-ryong, Juriell, and Ryle took up protective positions in front of Ki-chan.
"There are a little over 50 of them," Ki-chan said as he looked at the players who had descended into the castle and taken up positions to observe them. Mana surges could be felt from all directions, and it seemed that the mages were preparing their spells.
Just as Seo-woon was about to charge forward with the order to attack, a knight in pure white armor stepped forward.
He opened his mouth. "You. Join our quartet." We're Acro Guild, with around 200 of our guild members participating in this game. It's better than dying here as soon as the game starts. If you join us, you can focus on playing hard without worrying about anything else..."
"Sagwang, are you ready?" Ignoring the knight's words, Seo-woon looked at Nam Sagwang, who had landed last. "I'm ready."
"Attack!" The knight, grimacing, lowered his face shield and charged at Seo-woon and Nam-sa-gwang, who were charging forward.
A strike force of warriors and knights followed closely behind. Seo-woon's command over the team voice chat was simple: While he and Nam-sa-gwang drove the enemies back, they absolutely had to protect the rear and survive. Seo-woon's quartet was extremely attack-oriented, so they were outnumbered by knights.
However, thanks to magical protection, his overwhelming attack power more than made up for this disadvantage.
The white-armored knight, charging victoriously, couldn't even properly swing his silver spear before Nam Sanggwang's powerful blow split him vertically in two. It sent him crashing to the ground. Had he not underestimated his enemies, he might have been able to withstand Nam Sanggwang's powerful blows, but his overconfidence and the overwhelming number of enemies were his undoing.
Thus, the first loss of this game was sealed. It happened. Juriell and Ryle, who had focused on defense, didn't have to strain themselves. They simply neutralized incoming spells, and Binghu instantly dispatched approaching enemies. The blue energy emitted from his sword was different from ordinary energy; it radiated extreme cold, turning his opponents into blocks of ice.
All his opponents had parts of their bodies frozen. "We must flee!" someone shouted as they witnessed Binghu's elegant swordplay, instantly killing knights and warriors with white, cold energy in the air. Nam Sanggwang and Seo-woon were slashing at the mages with their drawn swords. With only a few team members remaining, it was a decision made somewhat too late.
There was nowhere to escape, especially within the high-walled inner castle. Their only option was annihilation.
-Crack! When Nang-sang-ah stabbed the last remaining enemy through the heart, his entire body froze white.
-Crack! When he pulled his sword out of the completely frozen enemy, the corpse with a hole in its chest collapsed and shattered into pieces.
"Binghua Sojeokgeom. Even after 100 years, his cruelty hasn't diminished one bit." Namsagwang bowed his head at Nang-sang-ah's words. "Thank you for your praise." Namsagwang couldn't respond to her words. He was the lord of Bingjeseong, perhaps inheriting Binghu's temperament because he didn't follow in his footsteps.
"Everyone, disperse and gather resources. There must be items or methods to control the castle in the castle. Lim and Ryle, monitor the castle's watchtowers for enemies coming this way."
"Understood!" "Leave it to us!" Seeing his group moving swiftly without complaint at his command, Binghu's expression changed strangely.
Binghu and Nang-sang-ah also began moving around the castle, keeping an eye on everything. "Priest! Come to the top floor of the inner keep!" Hearing Jin-ryong's voice, Seo-woon, who had been examining the outer keep, moved quickly. Tensing his body, Jin-ryong went to the top floor of the inner keep where Seo-woon was.
He saw what appeared to be the castle lord's study. In front of a large table was a piece of paper glowing blue. The moment Seo-woon picked up the paper and looked at it, a warning beep sounded.
"Beep!" You've obtained the castle lord's authority card. Jin Sunwoon's seal will be created in the lower area. If you press the seal on the authority card, you will be appointed as the current castle lord. The castle lord's authority card cannot be taken outside the castle lord's room. It also cannot be stored in the lower area.
"So that's how it works!" Hearing Seo-woon's words, Jin-ryong, who was watching from beside him, opened his mouth. "If this continues, we won't be able to leave the castle lord's room, will we?"
"Yes. The moment you leave the castle lord's room, anyone can become a castle lord."
"It will be impossible to unite 50 castles." "I don't fully understand the game yet." With that, Seo-woon took out his seal from the bottom area. He pressed the authorization certificate.
-You have become the lord of Goyoj Castle.
-The castle lord's authorization has been unlocked. *Yell "Authorization!" to check the castle's status.
"Authorization!" -Goyoj Castle.
-Castle wall durability 100/100 -Soldiers: 0/0 -Rations: 30 *(1 ration is enough for a soldier to eat for a day.)
-Defensive weapons: None
"Soldiers and provisions?" For a moment, a once-popular web game crossed Seo-woon's mind. "Could soldiers and provisions also be items that can be 'farmed'?"
Jin-ryong watched Seo-woon, who was deep in thought, with a serious expression, without interrupting. He wanted to tell him that soldiers and provisions were not farmable items.