Chapter 169
Lee Wonjae and Un Cheon-guk slumped their battered bodies to the ground.
The condition of their bodies was far from normal.
Un Cheon-guk’s arm dangled loosely, and his other visible injuries were substantial. The number of broken bones was difficult to count.
Lee Wonjae was in a similar state.
He found it hard to breathe, possibly due to a broken rib puncturing his organs. Had the fight continued, he would have likely been the first to collapse.
“He’s a monster, that one.”
This was Lee Wonjae’s impression after facing Hwang Gyuseong.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect him to be this strong.”
“If we hadn’t been discovered, the guild might have found new leadership today.”
Un Cheon-guk spat out the blood pooling in his mouth and looked at his arm.
“It’ll take months to heal.”
“Shouldn’t we keep chasing him?”
“In this condition?”
It was a question that left them speechless. Indeed, pursuing in their current state would be futile.
“Let’s leave it to the leader now. Our role ends here.”
They had done more than enough. Un Cheon-guk muttered those words.
However, unlike Un Cheon-guk who seemed to think it was over, Lee Wonjae still felt uneasy.
“Hwang Gyuseong might still manage to escape, couldn’t he?”
“Do you really think so? His condition should be worse than ours.”
“You’re talking about the poison?”
“And he’s pretty wounded, isn’t he?”
It was true. From the ongoing fights, Hwang Gyuseong had accumulated quite a few wounds.
While he didn’t have any major injuries, constant minor ones would eventually break him down, like clothes getting soaked in a drizzle.
Most importantly, hydra’s venom was a lethal poison that had even brought down Lee Suhyuk.
“There’s one thing that’s bothering me…”
“What is it?”
“According to rumors, Hwang Gyuseong might not be the only one left alive.”
Lee Wonjae shook his head at the intelligence of the Divine Dragon Group.
It was probably information that had leaked during the process of recruiting Jin Doha and Un Cheon-guk to this ambush by Kim Ilsoo.
“You’re still as good as ever at feigning ignorance.”
“Did you notice?”
“Let’s not pretend when there’s no intent to hide.”
Hwang Gyuseong wasn’t the end. The legend of Blue Eyes still remained.
Unless they were rooted out, incidents like this would keep happening.
However, contrary to their concern, it wasn’t something that would happen today.
“That’s one thing you don’t need to worry about.”
“You have something in mind?”
“By now, Blue Eyes should be looking at a mirage.”
Upon learning this, Lee Wonjae decided never to think of betraying Kim Ilsoo for the rest of his life.
“They don’t even know the real one is here.”
* * *
In Shiwoo’s eyes reflected a man with black hair and dark skin.
A man, naked, but with wings draped around him like clothes.
In terms of color, he was a raven-black handsome man.
The man lounged alone, propping his chin on his hand, at the gray throne located at the center of a crumbling castle, facing Shiwoo and Yerang.
“So…”
Shiwoo, after listening to the man’s story for a while, organized his thoughts and opened his mouth.
“So, Hwang Gyuseong came here?”
“That’s right. He said his name was Hwang Gyuseong. He said he needed power for revenge.”
The man flashed a captivating smile. Shiwoo and Yerang’s eyes shook with intense emotion at his confirmation.
“And? What did he do here?”
“So, I taught him how to handle dark energy. I told him to go and kill humans.”
“Dark energy?”
“Yes. I taught him a few things, and he learned well on his own. After that, I don’t know. I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing now.”
“Is there any way to find out….”
“I don’t know. Yaaawn—”
The man yawned loudly and sprawled out on the throne.
“Leave now. Like that guy, I’ll let you go too. You seem to share the same goal as him. Consider yourselves lucky.”
With that, the man waved his hand dismissively.
He was expressing that he was too lazy to continue the conversation and that they should leave now while they were still alive.
Since he had decided to let them go, they couldn’t ask any more questions. Shiwoo, who had intended to ask more about Hwang Gyuseong, glanced at Yerang beside him.
At that moment, she too was holding onto Shiwoo’s arm. Since they were both in agreement, now was the time to retreat.
In the end, the two of them exited the crumbling castle.
Their hands were sweaty as if they had just faced a dangerous dungeon boss and made it out alive.
Yerang glanced back at the ever-distant castle and asked,
“Is that guy really the Demon King?”
“Now that we’ve finally found him, you’re doubting it?”
“It’s just incredible to see one of the Three Demon Kings in person.”
Among the demon tribe, there were three kings.
These kings, who each ruled over different territories, were symbols of the demons and a high, challenging goal for the players to overcome someday.
However, those who had met them in person were rare.
So far, the only two people known to have met the Demon King and survived were Lee Suhyuk and the Heavenly Demon.
“If we had kept talking to him, it would have been dangerous, right?”
It might have been different if either of them were alone, but now the two of them were together. It was definitely not wise to risk their lives to find Hwang Gyuseong, who might be somewhere out there.
Shiwoo nodded.
“Anyway, we confirmed he’s alive. That’s enough.”
“Do you think Kim Ilsoo knows?”
“He probably does. That’s why he must have found him before us.”
Learning that Hwang Gyuseong was alive left them feeling differently from their initial expectations.
Stopping momentarily, Shiwoo glanced back at the Demon King’s castle.
“That bastard… he went that far.”
Hwang Gyuseong had sought out the Demon King on his own accord.
From their conversation, it was clear that this happened right after he fled from the Blue Zone.
The reason he had gone to such lengths to find him was obvious.
“He must be seeking revenge.”
Revenge.
It was everything on his mind after losing his comrades in a single day.
“Given his personality, it’s obvious.”
“That’s why he didn’t come to us.”
“A player who deals with dark energy is easily branded as an enemy.”
A player handling dark energy was an unforgivable existence.
Knowing this, Hwang Gyuseong, despite realizing he had a knack for dark energy, had refrained from getting close to it.
Undoubtedly, all the comrades who stayed together would be harmed.
Naturally, there were two choices.
To stay with the few comrades who had survived or to separate from them and choose revenge.
Hwang Gyuseong’s choice was the latter.
“That idiot…”
A slight smile spread over both of their faces.
Although the situation was difficult, the conclusion was clear.
Hwang Gyuseong was alive.
The news that their friend, whom they thought might have been dead, was alive caused them to feel genuine joy belatedly.
“We need to find him and freeze him.”
“I should stab him in the butt.”
Even if he had joined hands with the Demon King, dealt with demonic energy, or had become a demon.
As long as he was alive, they could meet him.
Because he wasn’t dead like Lee Suhyuk.
* * *
Swaaah-.
In the city where the rain was getting heavier.
Hwiyung slipped into a tall building.
To avoid being spotted by other players, she quieted her footsteps and concealed her presence.
Her breath was rough from moving quickly to avoid sight.
She was still shocked by the message she had received a few minutes ago.
“Cha Minwoo got eliminated so quickly.”
『Participant – ‘Cha Minwoo’ has been eliminated.』
It was a message that rang for all participants.
Even at that moment, messages about eliminated participants continued to update.
But none of the eliminations were as surprising as Cha Minwoo’s.
Having observed him closely, she knew how brilliant Cha Minwoo was.
“…Is it because of Lee Suhyuk?”
Since deciding to participate in the preliminary match, Cha Minwoo had been looking forward to his confrontation with Lee Suhyuk.
Even seeing him approach Lee Suhyuk and say something before the match started hinted that they might have already arranged a fight and set a location.
“How foolish.”
It wasn’t entirely unexpected.
From what she saw on the stream, Lee Suhyuk was indeed exceptionally talented, and even if he had skills surpassing those of a ranker, it was understandable.
Thinking that this would be his only chance to defeat him was a natural thought.
But that didn’t mean it was smart to have the match with him.
Even if he had safely advanced to the finals, Cha Minwoo’s reputation would have soared higher, and his guild salary would have doubled.
“There he is-!”
A shout came from the building behind her.
“Tch.”
Hwiyung pulled her bowstring and leaped out of the window.
Simultaneously, she released the bowstring, and an arrow flew in the direction of the sound.
Piiing-.
Fwhirrrrrr-.
One arrow split into dozens and hundreds of fragments.
Pabaabak, the sharp arrows pierced through the building’s wall with ease, converging on one spot.
Hwiyung leaped to the highest possible point.
‘I have to secure the position.’
This place was filled with enemies.
Having not made allies early on, she found herself in a situation where she had to pass the preliminaries alone.
The only way for a player handling a bow to face multiple opponents solo was to secure a favorable position.
Fortunately, the location where she was positioned wasn’t bad.
She needed to cross to the building at the opposite side, climb the stairs, and the rooftop would be right there. If she managed to spot her enemies from there first, her chances of winning would increase.
Thud, thud, thud—.
As light as her body was, her feet were swift. Soon enough, she opened the door leading to the rooftop.
Creak—.
‘I’ve arrived….’
“Oh? Here you are again.”
“See? I told you that if we stayed put here, someone would get caught eventually.”
The sound of her heart sinking echoed in her chest.
Unexpectedly, the rooftop, which should have been empty, had five participants waiting for her.
They weren’t the ones who had been chasing her.
They were lying in wait to hunt participants like herself seeking a higher position.
“This test is a bust, for real…”
Had Cha Minwoo been there with her, facing five might have been different. But as things stood, it was impossible.
She was, from the start, specialized in supporting someone as an archer.
Though she had ambitions to make it to the finals, it seemed that would remain out of reach. That was something only someone with truly special talents, like Cha Minwoo, could achieve.
Of course.
It was also unlikely that the five before her were such talents.
Cre-eak—.
Hwiyung pulled her bowstring.
Even if she were to fall, she had to leave behind at least one cool scene on the screen somehow.
That would be her value and worth in the future.
Just as she was about to release the bowstring aimed at the five players—
Whoosh—.
Rumble—.
Thunder roared noisily from the sky.
Blindingly—!
With a blinding light, it struck down onto the rooftop of the building.
Bang—!
“Arrgh—!”
“……!!!”
Their screams were drowned by the thunder. Soon after, the message that five players had been eliminated popped up consecutively.
Hwiyung breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she was just close enough to narrowly avoid being caught in the blast.
“That was lucky….”
Hwiyung muttered to herself, her head tilted in confusion.
It was odd. Lightning striking down from the sky to threaten players was excessive, even considering the map’s features.
And before she could finish that thought—
Blindingly—!
Several times from the sky.
The same blinding lightning struck down again.
Rumble—!
『Participant – ‘Delano’ has been eliminated.』
『Participant – ‘Ma Poore’ has been eliminated.』
『Participant – ‘Pilanor’ has been eliminated.』
『……』
Elimination messages for participants started popping up at a dizzying speed.