Chapter 48

Watching the soldier NPCs fighting on the road a short distance from the capture point, Seojun spoke.

"Hmm, everyone, I think this build is pretty good."

He had already defeated enemies twice.

And the second time, there had been four of them.

-He hasn't even reached the level to use skills yet lol

-Talk after you hit level 6

-He's crushing them with raw skill and pretending the build is good lmaoooo

-So shameless

Strictly speaking, the trait was helping, but only slightly, so the viewers were right.

The moment you could truly evaluate a build's performance was from level 6 onward, when martial arts became available.

In the beginner zones, you had to reach level 18 to use something resembling sword energy, but after choosing a faction, it started at level 6.

From level 6 onward, Inner Qi became available, allowing martial arts techniques to be used, and every multiple of 6 strengthened them further.

[Blue: 565] vs [Red: 980]

-Damn

-He barely lost any HP from 1,000

-This is strategy!

-"Strategy" ???

Currently, every capture point belonged to Seojun's team.

The three icons representing the points glowed red, the symbol color of the Demonic Cult.

In most games, allies were blue and enemies red.

But in Battlefield mode, each faction had its own designated color.

Blue represented the Orthodox Faction.

Green represented the Unorthodox Faction.

A message popped up.

[HeavenlyDemon, do you seriously not need help?]

[Correct.]

[The Namgung guy who was here earlier seems to be heading your way too. You still want us to stay here?]

[Remain where you are.]

[Yes sir.]

If you failed to capture the center point, a comeback was practically impossible.

Though the significance of the center had faded somewhat since Seojun himself wasn't farming the soldiers there.

'Maybe next time I should bring someone like a swordsman to clear soldiers for me?'

No.

It would be better to guarantee a 2v1 fight and secure another capture point instead.

But things never went exactly as planned.

[Jeon Jaehun → CoconutLover]

[Jeon Jaehun → DemonicCult123]

[Capture Point Gap has been lost.]

"Ah."

He had considered this possibility, but it was still annoying.

-Ahhhh lmaooo

-You think waiting around works?

-Rally battle ON

"It would've been convenient if they just kept challenging me directly."

Seojun spoke regretfully.

-Why would they do that lol

-They keep getting destroyed

-Their judgment's fast

'Still, they'll aim for this place eventually.'

No matter how many side points they captured, they couldn't win unless they defeated Seojun.

Which meant he needed to predict the timing of when the enemies would come after him.

The conclusion:

'Looks like they'll return after reaching level 6.'

Experience points could be earned by killing soldiers, killing enemies, or capturing points.

Players also gained passive EXP over time, but since everyone alive received it equally, the only way to create a gap was through kills.

'And the fastest way to gain EXP is farming soldiers.'

That was why the center point was so important.

So before the EXP gap widened further, the enemies would look for a timing where they could actually beat him.

That timing was level 6.

In other words, when martial arts skills became available.

"They'll probably target Gap next."

To avoid the center where Seojun was, they would have to take a long detour.

When the ally stationed at Gap asked what to do, Seojun simply told him to retake the point.

Since the enemies would come back anyway.

[Jeon Jaehun → MyDreamIsHairtail]

[Capture Point Byeong has been lost.]

[Capture Point Gap has been reclaimed.]

Just as expected, the enemies captured the side points.

By now, they had probably reached level 6.

"I think they're coming now."

-So why the hell did you build your traits like that?

-100% troll

-You sure you actually planned this build?

-If he planned it, he wouldn't have picked traits while reading every description one by one lol he definitely just chose whatever looked cool

What the hell. How did they know?

Still, he wasn't lying.

"Well, I really did think about it."

Absorbing Star Great Technique restored your HP by draining the enemy's health.

At the same time, during battle, it continuously absorbed Inner Qi and stamina from anyone within a certain range.

Stamina wasn't only used for Qinggong—it was also consumed by martial arts, movement techniques, and even powerful swings.

It was an incredibly important resource.

So just hearing the description alone, Absorbing Star Great Technique—which stole nearly every important resource in Heroes for Martial Arts from the enemy—sounded absurdly overpowered.

But it had one fatal flaw.

If the total amount of absorbed Inner Qi became too large, the user would suffer Qi Deviation.

'Which means fights can't drag on.'

A tank who had to end battles quickly.

Structurally flawed.

So he reversed the logic.

If battles had to end quickly, then instead of being a tank, he would become a damage dealer and finish them himself.

He just hadn't realized there were so many detailed secondary traits.

-Yeah, the penalty lmao

-How are you planning to play without taking the traits that reduce the penalty?

-Streamer won't die during combat, he'll die from Qi Deviation instead

-It's not like nobody else thought of this build before

Really?

"Honestly, it looked perfectly usable to me."

Of course, some things could only be learned through direct experience, but Seojun trusted his instincts when it came to combat.

As if to provide the perfect experiment, enemy voices echoed from the distance.

"He's still here!"

"Kill that monster bastard!"

"It's 4v1 now, and we've got martial arts too. If we lose this, we're trash!"

After losing to Seojun repeatedly, they had apparently started speaking casually to each other at some point.

-LMAOOO so they weren't before?

-I suddenly wanna see the streamer suffer Qi Deviation

-This is like getting parried in Dawn of the Assassins lmaooo

-I got Qi Deviation once myself, thought I had sleep paralysis haha

Once combat began, Absorbing Star Great Technique activated automatically.

The Beggars' Sect vagabond rushed in and swung his staff.

A powerful attack consuming stamina.

Seojun spent stamina as well to block it, and immediately afterward, two Mount Hua Sect players appeared from both sides behind the beggar.

Their robes fluttered dramatically.

Red sword energy erupted from their blades.

And the gust of wind carried the fragrance of plum blossoms to his nose.

It was Mount Hua Sect's skill—

Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

"How impressive."

As expected.

Choosing this game had truly been the right decision.

First Form.

Plum Blossom by the Roadside.

A plum blossom resting beside the road.

-Damn, the red effects look amazing

-This is why Mount Hua is the most popular

-This is what a swordsman should look like

What was the sword intent behind the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique?

As the enemy's sword tips split apart, staining his vision crimson, Seojun pondered the question.

'Deceiving the eyes.'

As Seojun retreated backward, countless crimson sword energies simultaneously targeted his vital points.

Illusionary swords concealed reality and disrupted the senses.

Which was real, and which was fake?

Within that nostalgic fragrance, Seojun circulated his Inner Qi.

'This feeling…'

It felt like truly manipulating Inner Qi.

Power gathered at the tips of his feet.

"But I am the Heavenly Demon."

-This guy is actually insane lmaoooo

-Did he fail to become the Heavenly Demon in a past life or something? lmfaooo

-Why is this actually cool though?!

Dark crimson Demonic Qi wrapped around Seojun's sword as he swung it in a massive arc from left to right, cleaving apart the crimson wave.

'Overwhelming force with greater force. Sword energy against sword energy.'

It was a game rule not too far removed from reality.

And—

Against illusionary swords, use an even larger sword to swallow them whole.

Seojun poured an enormous amount of Inner Qi into blocking the skill.

Of course, since the enemy had activated a martial skill, their efficiency was far superior to simply generating sword energy manually.

'But it works.'

In any case, the crimson illusion shattered.

Fragments brushed against Seojun's body, but they dealt little real damage.

"You dumped that much Inner Qi just to break the First Form?"

"He used a ton of Inner Qi! Finish him quickly! That's insanely inefficient!"

Judging by their conversation, this seemed to be the standard counterplay.

The Beggars' Sect player heard the shout and charged Seojun—

But this time, Seojun sharpened his blade and thrust directly into the approaching enemy.

In an instant, the HP he had lost from the fragments was restored.

"Wait, why is his damage this high?"

"Did he hit a vital point?"

-Uh, no.

-The streamer stacked attack-oriented traits.

-Wasn't it still a vital hit though?

It was a vital hit.

And he had consumed stamina to enhance the thrust as well.

Blue lightning erupted from behind Seojun as a Namgung Clan user struck from the rear.

Heavenly Thunder Divine Sword.

One of the Namgung Clan's two signature martial arts, characterized by lightning-infused quicksword attacks.

But—

-LMAOOOO lightning against the streamer

-What? Why are you guys laughing?

-Newbie. You clearly haven't binge-watched the streamer's videos

Seojun glanced at chat and laughed too.

Lightning, huh.

Blue lightning scattered through the air as the accelerated quick strike, as fast as someone using Qinggong in a berserk state, shot toward Seojun.

Impossible to track with the eyes alone.

'Back when fighting the Tower Master, what did I use to dodge?'

Seojun circulated Inner Qi once more and lightly swung his sword downward.

Claaang!

The spot where Seojun struck was the exact trajectory of the enemy's sword—not off by even a fraction.

The blocked player's eyes shook violently.

"How?"

"Your sword is fast, but insufficient to reach me. That is all."

-Unlucky Tower Master lmaooo

-He's predicting it. That's insane.

-It's ridiculously fast, how did he do that?

-Nothing works before the Heavenly Demon!!

His hand tingled slightly.

The lightning energy dealt Seojun minor damage.

Seojun immediately spent stamina again to attack the enemy in front of him, recovering his HP.

"So this is how it works."

As Seojun's health fully restored yet again, the enemies stared at him in despair.

"No, does that Heavenly Demon bastard have infinite stamina or something?!"

The Beggars' Sect vagabond swung his staff with all his strength, and Seojun met it head-on.

"It's Absorbing Star Great Technique."

A Mount Hua player attacked from the side, only to get slashed instead and forced backward.

The amount of HP disappearing was absurd.

"No, seriously, even considering that, he's using way too much! And the damage is insane too!"

"The Demonic Cult is broken as hell."

They complained bitterly while clashing weapons, but Seojun's HP bar remained immovable.

Even if they used martial arts to damage him directly, he instantly recovered.

Even if they tried exploiting their four-man advantage in resources, his seemingly endless stamina nullified it completely.

Just when it seemed impossible to deal with him, the Beggars' Sect player spoke.

"Doesn't that thing kill him if he holds out too long?"

The penalty of Absorbing Star Great Technique was famous.

If maintained too long, the user died.

To overcome this, players usually took traits like:

Traits that deactivated the technique if the enemy moved too far away.

Traits that increased defense and HP based on the number of enemies being fought.

Traits that lowered the technique's power in exchange for stability and longer duration.

"It doesn't look like he took any penalty reduction traits. Otherwise this damage and stamina make no sense."

They weren't beginners, so they figured it out quickly.

"Then stall him!"

"If we hold out a little longer, he'll die on his own!"

"Don't let the distance widen enough for the technique to break! Stick to him while controlling the spacing!"

-They figured it out

-I'm a martial arts newbie, explain what's happening please

-Well, you see, youngster…

-The martial arts boomers are excited again lmaooo

The enemies' approach changed.

From offense to defense.

A strategy that drained the life out of Absorbing Star Great Technique without directly damaging his HP.

An ordinary Absorbing Star user would be trapped helplessly in this situation.

But—

"You think that'll work on me?"

Seojun pretended to retreat, then suddenly plunged directly into the center of the enemy formation.

After all, he hadn't selected the trait where the technique deactivated at long range.

The price of maximizing performance.

Fast death.

And the method he chose to avoid that fast death—

[Jeon Jaehun eliminated]

[Enemy Fortress HP -20]

"That bastard's gonna die soon."

"W-When is 'soon'?!"

"How should I know?!"

Slash!

The blackened blade flashed.

[FarewellFromFarewell eliminated]

[Enemy Fortress HP -20]

"No, seriously. When the hell is he dying?"

"Doesn't it feel like it's already been forever?"

[Gilbadak eliminated]

[Enemy Fortress HP -20]

"Beggar… I'm the only one left now. Damn it. Huh?"

Suddenly, Seojun—the monster who had slaughtered them mercilessly—turned away instead of finishing him.

And started retreating.

Quickly, too.

"He's finally reaching the point where he'll die, so he's trying to create distance!"

Finally!

The Namgung player burned all his remaining stamina and unleashed his ultimate quicksword strike.

A blow capable of catching the fleeing enemy and potentially finishing him in one hit!

But the retreating Seojun suddenly turned around and blocked his sword.

Then Seojun's blade rotated smoothly and cleanly sliced toward his neck.

[SkySword eliminated]

[Enemy Fortress HP -20]

What?

He reacted while retreating?

Or rather—

Had he been baited from the beginning?

Instead of simply fleeing, had Seojun intentionally lured him in to guarantee the kill?

As expected, experts were different.

'Maybe I shouldn't have charged recklessly.'

At that moment, the enemy started speaking toward empty air.

"You're asking why I didn't die? It's because instead of taking penalty reduction traits, I increased the technique's power and picked the trait that cancels the technique's penalty whenever I kill an enemy."

Ah.

Having completely lost the will to fight, he stared blankly at Seojun.

So Absorbing Star Great Technique had detailed traits like that too.

Nobody used the skill this way, so he had never even imagined it.

"Yeah, killing even one person resets the penalty, so… Doesn't this build seem pretty good?"

Good?

It looked downright broken.

But if killing just one enemy reset the penalty, then why had he retreated earlier?

There should've still been plenty of time left.

Unless—

One word surfaced in his mind.

Toying with them.

"Man… Still, Orthodox martial arts look cooler and stronger. No wonder nobody plays the Demonic Cult."

That comment also sounded like it was directed at him personally.

Damn it.

'The moment this match ends, I'm switching to the Demonic Cult.'

After all, the first day of the battlefield had only just begun.