CHAPTER 60

Six-quad. Survival strategy.

With the bowstring pulled taut, he silently watched the chaos of the battlefield unfold, waiting for the right moment.

Whether through an implicit alliance or not, the duo-quad of mages and knights, and the tri-quad of two martial artists and a mage, were concentrating their attacks on the team Seowoon had once fought beside.

It wasn't blatant teaming, but the air of mutual awareness between the squads was undeniable.

Even so, the martial artist with a sharp saber from the tri-quad didn't just guard the mage but advanced forward, aggressively pushing back.

It was a risky style that showed absolute trust in his knight teammate.

As his saber drew sharp arcs through the air, a dozen or so strikes exploded outward, breaking through the duo-quad mage's shield.

In that instant, Seowoon's eyes lit up.

Shhhk!

As if a shadow had passed over the mage's forehead, a red line dripped from his brow as he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

The unexpected event froze every player on the battlefield. None dared move as they watched all directions warily.

'That's impressive.'

A brief thought.

The arrow just loosed flew far faster than those used in his earlier sniping match. Technically, it was only 55% faster, but the perceived speed was drastically higher.

So much so that the players hadn't even figured out what hit the mage.

And this dungeon was the perfect place for stealth cloaks to reach their full potential.

In a sunless underground space, few items were as reliable as the Cloak of Stealth.

While players panicked and glanced around nervously, Seowoon repositioned, loaded another armor-piercing bolt, and drew back the bowstring again.

The tri-quad mage, guarded by two martial artists, layered his shield and barrier, clearly shaken after watching another mage drop in an instant.

Being watched by an invisible enemy at close range was enough to paralyze anyone. Still, the embattled team launched themselves at their foes—they had little to lose.

Losing just one mage was a blow, but for the team that had once defended something precious with Seowoon, it was a weight off their shoulders.

From a 5v3 to a 4v3—the numbers were closer now. More importantly, the mage matchups were evened.

In a battlefield of cautious players, the one recklessly charging forward was the saber-wielding martial artist.

Their side was already at a disadvantage, but now that an opportunity had opened, his saber swung wildly, sending blades of energy scattering like waves.

'He was just as headstrong last time.'

Even when facing an overwhelmingly stronger opponent, he'd charged in with everything he had. Now, he felt even faster than before.

But against two martial artists and one knight, he didn't have enough strength to break through.

Especially now, as the lone knight had stuck to the tri-quad like glue, fighting alongside them desperately.

Apparently, the knight had decided his only path to survival was by joining them.

'Idiot. He should've run the moment the mage went down and gone into hiding.'

Seowoon almost pitied the knight, so desperate to assert his presence.

If it were him, he would've fled the second that mage died. In fact, the wisest move would've been for everyone to retreat the moment that mysterious strike took the mage out.

'Everyone's panicking over the 24-hour time limit.'

With the uncertainty of what would happen once the Wraith revived after 24 hours, players were clearly overextending.

As the knight desperately tried to curry favor with the tri-quad, the tide of battle slowly began to shift.

Then, just as things were tipping, two Ice Lances formed above Seowoon's shoulder and shot out with a slight delay toward the mage.

The mage was the first to detect the mana ripple and turned his gaze toward Seowoon's hidden position—but too late.

The Ice Lances shattered his shield and barrier, and the two martial artists rushed to protect him.

The moment Seowoon's stealth broke, the martial artists reacted swiftly.

But Seowoon was already moving again, blending back into the shadows with the bow drawn tight.

As soon as he vanished, he infused his bow and bolt with inner energy and released.

Shhhk!

Blood burst from the mage's temple just as he began casting a new shield. He collapsed sideways.

The two martial artists panicked, trying to grab him, but their enemies weren't stupid enough to let that happen.

With blades and spells raining down, the martial artists and the knight didn't last long before they, too, turned into loot chests.

The last new player stood frozen, unsure whether to reach for the items or stay wary of the unknown threat.

It was then that Seowoon, shedding his Cloak of Stealth, stepped into view.

"We meet again."

The three players, startled mid-preparation to attack, showed mixed expressions.

Relief. Wariness. Bitterness. Familiarity.

Seowoon smiled, genuine and unguarded.

Though they'd shown hostility over martial techniques before, the bond between them had once run deeper than mere rivals.

Whether it was recognition or relief, one of the martial artists holstered his blade and approached.

"I thought you might still be alive out there somewhere. Good to see you again."

"Same here. Especially now," Seowoon replied, his tone implying more.

The martial artist raised an eyebrow.

"So, you didn't do it for free. I just hope your price isn't too steep."

He joked as he tapped the hilt of his sheathed blade. Seowoon liked that kind of confidence.

"First, when did you enter this dungeon?"

"About ten days ago," the man replied.

"Then you're probably not aware of the teaming situation?"

"Teaming? What kind of alliance?"

It was clear he had no idea.

"Currently, three or four squads are teaming up. They used to ambush players at the entrance, but now that the barrier's gone, they're hunting as a group. There are only two ways to deal with them: join them, or build your own resistance."

The faces of the martial artist and mage grew grim at the new intel—excluding the knight, who remained calm.

They were veterans of Cloyd, after all.

They'd allied temporarily before, but never faced teaming in a squad-based game. And if more than three squads had truly joined forces, there'd be no beating them without overwhelming power.

"Why overthink it?" the knight said breezily. "They're just a bunch of enemies teaming up. We've already fought strong foes together. Why not band together and fight?"

The martial artist and mage sighed. Their faces said what they didn't voice aloud:

'Must be nice being that simple.'

In a squad game, you couldn't form teams after the game started—only the ones assigned in the lobby were set in stone.

Which meant you could never truly trust anyone you met mid-game.

That's why the mage and martial artist were trying to gauge Seowoon's intentions.

Just then, Kichan and Lyle appeared beside Seowoon.

"We're not asking to stick together till the end," Kichan said. "Just long enough to break up the teamers."

Seowoon added, "You've probably noticed, but one of them's a master using inner energy. And… Juryok Ana is still alive too."

The mage flinched at the name. The martial artist stiffened at the mention of inner energy.

Even if you pulled up the survivor list, most people just skimmed the numbers or glanced at the names—no one bothered checking how people had died.

"Juryok Ana's in this game?"

"Someone's using inner energy... Did you see it yourself?"

"I fought Juryok Ana. As for the master with inner energy, I didn't see him personally. But I highly doubt either of those two dropped out early."

The martial artist and mage exchanged a glance—then nodded.

"Let's join forces. At least for now."

Seowoon smiled at the meaningful tone in the martial artist's final words.

"I'm Jin Seowoon."

"I'm Limin," the martial artist replied.

Seowoon returned the unfamiliar pogyun greeting with one of his own after seeing Limin do it first.

Thanks to watching martial arts novels and dramas, he knew it was a formal gesture similar in meaning to a handshake.

(Note: Pogyun and gongsu gestures are similar, but they differ slightly in meaning and posture.)

"I'm Dump. Let's get along."

As Dump stepped forward and slammed his shield to the ground, Seowoon figured it must be some kind of knightly formality and accepted the greeting.

For some reason, the name "Dump" suited him perfectly—it was so simple.

"Likewise."

He replied in kind, dropping the honorifics. Dump didn't seem to mind at all.

"Call me Sade. Let's aim for a good outcome together."

Once the introductions were over, Lyle and Kichan also introduced themselves and exchanged greetings.

With greetings wrapped up, they finished a bit of looting and moved to discuss their next plan—but opinions were far from aligned.

"Now that it's come to this, we should go hunt them down. Less than 17 hours until that Wraith or whatever revives," the mage said.

But Seowoon shook his head.

"Not yet. Even if we've filled our numbers, we're still outmatched—those teaming squads have at least double our strength. And don't forget, Juryok Ana and the mysterious inner-energy user are still out there. It's smarter to manipulate the situation in a way that benefits us. With luck, they might even fight each other and wipe each other out."

"That's a gamble. There's no guarantee the variables will swing our way."

Limin, now comfortably using informal speech, argued back.

"Then let's vote," Kichan suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

But before that could happen, Seowoon pulled something out.

"Here, this. I don't need it. But you might."

He tossed a sword manual to Dumph, who caught it—and his eyes doubled in size.

"Th-this is…!"

It was no surprise. The sword manual was from the imperial knights of the Kraerne Empire—no doubt something once wielded by a full knight bearing the title of Sword Emperor.

For a mere trainee knight like Dumph, it was the very item he'd desperately searched for in Cloyd.

Seowoon kept his expression cool even as Dumph looked at him with starry-eyed gratitude.

"It's only worth something in the hands of someone who needs it."

In truth, the item was locked, registered, and freely obtainable with enough coins. But Dumph was too simple to see it as anything other than a huge gift.

"Shall we vote now?"

Just then, Kichan cut in. The martial artist and mage looked between him and Seowoon, then shook their heads.

The vote was already decided.

Everyone but Dumph saw through Seowoon's blatant move, but no one could openly complain about it either.

"Fine. But this is still a gamble," the mage muttered.

Seowoon smiled.

"Not necessarily. I have a good idea what's going to happen when the Wraith revives."

"A good idea?"

Limin and Sade focused on him, curious.

"My guess is that the revival will create a monster equal to, or stronger than, a boss monster."

Both nodded—they'd thought the same.

Only Dumph looked shocked.

Ignoring him, Seowoon continued.

"And when it revives, players will flock to it. It's going to spark a massive battle."

The mage interjected.

"I disagree. They've even added a time limit—it's clearly meant to accelerate the pace of the game. I think it'll be something horrifying enough that players won't even consider trying to fight it."

A fair point.

"Maybe. But even so, players will throw everything they have at it."

Sade was about to counter, but Limin nodded instead.

"They will."

Sade looked puzzled.

"Of course they will. If it's stronger than a boss, then the rewards will be even better."

"Ah!"

Realization dawned on the mage's face. The universal instinct of players: greed for items.

Seowoon smirked like a villain in a movie.

"What if we hit them from behind… right then?"

KREEEE!

Limin's dao, coated in holy water, cleaved through a Specter. With a clatter, it vanished in a mist of light.

"That's the last of them around here."

He reversed his grip and smoothly sheathed the dao, prompting Seowoon to nod.

Their eyes turned toward a softly glowing white gem embedded in a wall nearby.

A recent discovery.

Wherever Specters appeared, one of those gems was always nearby.

Once all the surrounding Specters were cleared, the gem's light faded. After 24 hours, it would light up again and begin summoning Specters anew.

"If Lyric were here, we could confirm it, but I'm pretty sure it's the anchor that ties Specters to this area."

"It completely lost its power in subspace, right?"

Sade nodded at Seowoon's question.

"I tested it twice to make sure."

Seowoon jumped up and reached for the gem embedded in the wall.

CRACK!

He yanked it free and stuffed it into subspace. Kichan looked at him.

"That makes ten. With 20–30 Specters per gem, we've taken down over 200. Even for Specters, that's a hefty number."

"Not enough. I won't be satisfied with less than 500."

Kichan, Lyle, and Sade widened their eyes at that.

"Alert spell triggered in Area A-1!"

"Run!"

They had spread alert spells across the explored map and were now focused on dodging enemies while collecting gems.

Though only a few days had passed, no one questioned Seowoon's leadership anymore.

Day 38 of the game.Survivors: 39 / 400.

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