CHAPTER 68

20 Quads. New Rules.

"Jo Changjun?"

Wearing a silvery breastplate and gloves, holding a long spear and lifting his helmet to reveal his face—it was unmistakably Jo Changjun.

Behind him stood a woman in a robe, holding a staff.

The moment Seowoon saw the pity in her eyes, the shock doubled.

"Minah… you too…"

"You thought you were the only one who became a special player? Since that day, I joined Cloyd with Minah. In the end, this place too… is under the influence of my real-world money."

Seeing him flaunt his spear like a trophy made things clear.

He'd managed to survive and gather enough items to bypass the game's jump rule, clawing his way up to the fixed matches.

Since Cloyd's time operated differently from reality, it wasn't surprising he had already reached this stage.

He might even have more playthroughs under his belt than Seowoon.

"That dumbfounded look suits you. Let's see if you can even join a proper quad like that. Heh."

Now swaggering with a sense of superiority, Jo Changjun strutted past Seowoon toward the quad recruitment area.

Just as Joo Minah opened her mouth, casting a conflicted glance at Seowoon, Changjun called out loudly from ahead.

"Minah! What are you doing?!"

As Minah closed her mouth and walked past him, Seowoon's eyes darkened.

"Hyung, we need to find teammates too."

"Yeah."

The people gathered in the waiting room fell into three main groups.

Those forming quads around guilds, those loudly recruiting, and those quietly observing, searching for the right quad to join.

Seowoon and Kichan were part of the third group.

They watched the loud recruiters building their quads, listening and evaluating.

– Looks like a knight-heavy quad.– Yeah. They might have a Sword Emperor, but that's about it.

Passing by a group that already had over 15 members, they continued on.

Not long after, under a bamboo grove, a woman stopped them.

"Excuse me! Would you consider joining us?"

She had big eyes and red hair braided into twin tails, dressed in a ragged robe. She looked at Seowoon and Kichan with hopeful eyes.

Having overheard bits of conversation while circling the area, they asked her,

"How many runs have you completed?"

"I'm on my 15th run, and this is my first fixed match. And this one here…"

From the shadows behind her, a woman wearing elegant white archer's gear looked up and spoke.

"13th run, also first fixed match. You two?"

"20th run, first fixed match."

"4th run, first fixed match…"

When Seowoon said that, laughter erupted from a nearby group who had just finished forming their quad.

"Haha! Just the 4th run? Hah!"

All eyes turned toward the laughing Jo Changjun.

Most of the players looked at him with disdain, but he seemed to think the ridicule was aimed at Seowoon and continued mocking him, clutching his stomach and overacting.

But other players ignored Changjun and began approaching Seowoon.

"Hey, if you're still unaffiliated…"

"We've got two spots left. Join us…"

"Let's have a quick word."

The woman in the robe shouted, blocking them.

"We're not done talking yet!"

With arms outstretched protectively in front of Seowoon and Kichan, her fierce posture made the others pause and wait expectantly.

"You're really on your 4th run?"

"Well, somehow, yeah."

"Your main class?"

"Martial artist."

The woman sitting behind them lit up at that answer.

"Doesn't seem like you're from this world…"

"Probably not. But what about you two?"

"Oh, I'm a mage, and the woman behind me is a martial artist."

Without going into detail, she just gave their main roles and then gripped Seowoon's arm tightly.

Seeing that, Jo Changjun's face finally showed a hint of realization.

As if a bit too late, one of his own squadmates leaned over and asked,

"Changjun, how many runs did you say you've done again?"

"36 runs, first fixed match."

His overly proud reply only made the surrounding players scoff harder.

"Right. Let's have a word over there, shall we?"

As Changjun followed his squadmate, frowning at the crowd gathering around Seowoon, he muttered irritably.

"That idiot... He's not someone you're close with, is he?"

"You think I'd be friends with someone like him?"

Even after Changjun walked off, more players continued approaching Seowoon.

"Still unaffiliated?"

"We've got two spots left. Come with us…"

"Let's talk for a sec."

The woman who held Seowoon's arm only gripped tighter.

Her expression said she wasn't letting go—no matter what.

Seowoon glanced over at Kichan.

– Mage and martial artist—solid base. We can round out the balance with later recruits.

Seowoon nodded and sent a quad request to the woman.

[Ding! This person is already in a quad. You may join their quad, but you cannot pull them into a new one.]

"Ah!"

Realizing her mistake, the woman instead invited Seowoon and Kichan into her own quad.

[Would you like to join Juriel's Quad?]

After they accepted, several players nearby turned away with clear disappointment.

"Now, let's talk. We've got five spots open…"

"We asked first! We've got eight open, plus two alchemists and a witch!"

A small tug-of-war broke out over the new players.

As the commotion grew, everyone in the waiting room began paying attention.

"What's going on?"

"Did some incredible player show up?"

"Apparently a 4th-run, first fixed match player appeared."

"What?!"

"So he made it to fixed by the 3rd run?!"

The growing commotion reached Jo Changjun, who had moved to a corner.

His expression twisted with irritation.

Then the squadmate who brought him here spoke.

"This place doesn't reward experience. In fact, bragging about your run count is... idiotic."

Changjun's eyes turned sharp at the blunt words.

"Hey! What's your problem—"

"Yeah, you paid me a decent fee. Not cheap, especially for a carry. But if things go south, I'll drop you without hesitation. In fixed matches, mind games start in the waiting room. If people see you as weak, they'll go after you from the start. Thanks to your stunt earlier, all you did was make that guy more of a target. So… just shut up and follow me from now on."

Jo Changjun couldn't argue—this man wasn't acting like he did back in the real world.

And if he lost this ally, he wasn't confident he'd survive.

"If that idiot's resentment spills over onto me, it's going to be a problem."

The man glanced toward Seowoon's location—he was already surrounded by so many players that he could barely be seen.

Seeing this, Changjun flushed red and glared in jealousy.

"So what if he only has a few runs?!"

It seemed his precious run count mattered less than he thought—and that stung more than anything.

The chaos of quad recruitment settled the moment the robed woman raised her voice:

"We're looking for players who want to join our quad!"

With that single line, the rest of the recruiters backed off with disappointed sighs.

"Does it matter whether we go to them or they come to us?"

"Apparently it does."

The woman looked around and explained:

"It's different. Whoever forms the quad gets more say. Since all of us are first-timers in fixed matches, if we let experienced players take the lead, we might get dragged into gameplay we don't want. Worst case, the quad could even split. And if the result isn't good…"

20 Quads. New Rules.

As she trailed off, Seowoon and Kichan both nodded.

"Squad politics, huh?"

Kichan had already mentioned it once before.

They'd both played enough team games to know how petty and emotional internal politics could become.

Once the conversation ended, she began forming the quad by checking other players' run counts. It took just over two hours to fully fill the squad.

"Okay, everyone, gather here."

Players who had been hanging out in small groups with people they knew slowly started to converge around her.

They exchanged awkward glances and kept their mouths shut.

There were eight mages, including Kichan, five knights, and five martial artists including Seowoon.

Two alchemists brought the total to twenty—a full quad.

"Let's each do a simple introduction."

One by one, players stated their main class and gave a basic summary of their abilities.

Despite being on the same squad, no one revealed detailed stats or item information.

"Martial artist and 4th-circle mage. Jin Seowoon."

"Mage. 6th-circle magic. I've also learned basic martial skills. My name is Kang Kichan."

As Seowoon finished his brief intro, many players turned to look at him.

He was the player who'd achieved fixed status in just his fourth run—an impressive feat. Most of the squad had joined because of him.

In team games, the strength of your squad mattered. Even if your own skills weren't top-tier, hopping on a strong team—a so-called "bus"—could get you great results.

Most players here understood that well.

After everyone finished introductions, a burly man in massive armor exchanged glances with his companions before speaking up.

"Let's choose the main order."

That is, the person who would serve as the squad's tactical leader.

At that suggestion, the expression of the woman who'd organized the squad stiffened.

"Let's be honest. Most of us probably joined this squad because of that guy over there who reached fixed on his third run."

Many nodded at the armored man's words.

Now, right at the start, her authority as squad organizer was being threatened. Her hand trembled as she gripped her robe.

With a shake of her arm, she threw off the robe and stepped forward.

Clad in golden armor with gleaming silver greaves, she stunned the proud knight into silence.

"The Ronis crest?"

"Yes. Juriel Hather Ronis. I have no intention of giving up the main order. I formed this squad. Anyone who disagrees is free to leave—there's still time."

The knight who had spoken up shook his head.

'Damn it. I acted too soon.'

He had wanted to wait until the last moment before making a power move. Now it was too late.

"If you're from the Ronis family, I have no objection."

As the knight backed down, Seowoon tilted his head.

"Must be a famous family?"

Kichan nodded quietly.

"Seems like it. And squad politics are about to get rough. I've heard that once you lose your voice in the squad, you get sidelined for the rest of the game."

"You two in the back—if you have something to say, please disable your silence status and speak."

Juriel's voice rang out. Kichan removed his hand from his necklace and smiled.

"Nothing official to say. Since we have a main order, let's move on quickly."

Juriel rewrapped herself in her worn robe and continued.

"Let's start with positions. Anyone have experience or want to volunteer as scout?"

There were no archers in the party, making scout assignments tricky.

Two martial artists raised their hands.

"We were scouts in the previous game."

"Great. You two handle scouting."

"And any experience as a main shielder?"

The knight who had first challenged her raised his hand again.

"The knights I came with have lots of shielder experience. I recommend we handle it."

Since knights were the natural fit for shielding, Juriel nodded.

All five knights took the shielder role.

"Then please support the mages. Any mages with healing abilities?"

Three raised their hands.

"Please rotate between healing and damage support. The rest of you will be our main attackers."

Though this was her first fixed match, Juriel divided roles efficiently and confidently. Players began to trust her leadership.

"Now for the sub-order. Any volunteers?"

Several raised their hands.

But once Seowoon raised his hand too, most of them lowered theirs.

Only the knight who had earlier vied for leadership kept his hand up.

As Juriel weighed the decision, the knight spoke first.

"I'm Kite. I have experience as a sub-order. The game I served in placed in the TOP 20."

"I led up to five players and survived as TOP 1 in that game."

At the mention of "TOP 1," Kite's face flushed red.

"That wasn't a quad game, was it?"

Seowoon didn't argue.

Juriel looked between the two and finally said,

"One is a martial artist with a TOP 1 record. The other is a knight with a TOP 20 record. Those who support the martial artist, raise your hands."

On the surface, it seemed fair—but the wording swayed opinions. With the emphasis on record and class, all the martial artists and most of the mages raised their hands for Seowoon.

"Then Jin Seowoon will be the sub-order."

Juriel naturally didn't want to give that role to the knight who tried to seize power.

Kite twitched his mouth but said nothing as he sat down.

"Let's look at the map."

As everyone unrolled their maps, Juriel scanned it.

"Anyone familiar with this terrain?"

Her gaze fell on the martial artists.

"It's centered on Hwagok Fortress, with the Yookok Sect and Sanghwa Sect splitting the territory. I'm an inner disciple of Sanghwa, so I know this terrain well."

Everyone nodded at the young martial artist's confident explanation.

"Can you guess what object monsters might appear?"

"There's a legend about Master Jang Docheon of the Yookok Sect defeating an Imoogi at Sangryeong Mountain before it became a dragon. So we'll probably see an Imoogi there. Also, since Sanghwa is descended from a shamanic clan in Mosan, there may be jiangshi wandering nearby."

Seowoon and Kichan learned a lot from watching the others analyze the map and make tactical predictions.

"She said it's her first run, but she's really sharp."

Juriel, noticing Seowoon's gaze, addressed the group again.

"Anyone else have predictions?"

She and the others examined the map and discussed paths, anticipating which zones would collapse and planning multiple routes accordingly.

Since this was Seowoon and Kichan's first time on a martial arts-style map, they kept quiet and simply observed.

After a not-so-short meeting, a system message rang out:

– The game is about to begin. Main reward items will now be revealed.

[Escape from the World Ticket][Player Revival Right][Coin Dispenser][Mad Demon's Mastery][Heart of the Red Dragon]

With a resounding boom, each item was revealed—and all players' eyes lit up.

Especially Mad Demon's Mastery and Heart of the Red Dragon, which made everyone's greed palpable.

– Main quest announced: trrrrrrrr... Ding! Score the most kills. Only the surviving player with the most kills (minimum 200) will be allowed to choose one of the reward items above.

Unable to comprehend the absurdity of the situation, Kichan and Seowoon looked around in stunned silence.

Then came the next announcement:

– Soon, you will share your vision through Argas's Eye. When you see your desired location, say "descend" and you will be safely dropped to the ground. Those who do not descend manually will be dropped at the end point automatically. Please be cautious.

– Preparing to start the game…

[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]