Chapter 49
"Survive as long as possible without dying? So if we die, we instantly reset right there?"
"Right. But the time limit will definitely be short. You said you put all the power into the draining effect of Absorption Art."
"But no matter how short it is⦠how are we supposed to endure that? The damage is insane, and his stamina is overflowing too."
"Figure something out yourself. You're the tank."
The fortress of the Orthodox Sect.
They were seriously discussing countermeasures against Cheonma14.
Sky Sword, the player who had chosen the Namgung Clan, had practically given up already, but the other team members were trying to find a way to kill Cheonma14 using the information he had brought back.
"I'm not a tank, you bastards. I'm a DPS tank. I learned Beggar's Staff Technique."
"Ugh, useless beggar bastard."
"Stop calling me a beggar."
"Why? Does hearing the truth hurt your feelings?"
"Khmm."
"Don't laugh."
The Beggars' Sect player, Street Rat, glared at the two Mount Hua players whose lips were twitching upward.
This was the problem with choosing the Beggars' Sect.
Every random bastard everywhere treated you like an actual beggar.
In terms of public perception, they ranked second only to the Demonic Cult!
From the bottom!
'Wellβ¦ the Beggars' Sect really are beggarsβ¦'
Still, it naturally felt unpleasant.
"Anyway, you should've just learned Drunken Eight Immortals Technique and tanked while drinking."
"Whatever. Just hold him off somehow. You're the only one who can actually tank."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. But you absolutely cannot die."
They steeled their resolve.
And that resolve collapsed in less than a minute after the battle began.
The dark crimson Demonic Cult sword energy smoothly painted across the air.
It seized control of the space itself, making it impossible to evade.
"Ah, if I get hit one more time, I'm dead. I'm backing off for a second!"
As Street Rat retreated, the Mount Hua players exposed to Seojun's attacks shouted out.
"If you live, we die instead!"
"Damn it, this is so beggar-like! Why does the sword keep bending around?! Is that even a skill?"
"What? Beggar-like? That's Beggars' Sect discrimination."
"I meant the situation's shitty, you beggar bastard!"
-kkkkkkkkkkkkkk Beggars' Sect discrimination my ass kkkkkkkkkk
-This is hilarious kkkkkkkkkk
-These horse-faced bastards got spoiled because people donate to them even when they sit still. They should try begging themselves if they want to know the hardships of beggars
-I can smell beggar stink through the chat, streamer! Mods!
Beggar stink?
There was no such thing.
Thinking the Beggars' Sect beggars smelled bad was a misconception.
If anything, they only smelled pleasant.
The reason was simple.
'Bad smells provoke instinctive disgust rather than sympathy.'
So at the very least, they never gave off unpleasant odors.
Insteadβ
They worked on their appearance.
A pitiful beggar-like appearance evoked sympathy.
With hundreds of years of accumulated begging know-how, why would they intentionally stink?
'Cunning bastards.'
The Beggars' Sect were cheerful and amusing beggars.
"Since we do have a bit of history together, I'll kill the beggar first."
His deviation was already close at hand anyway.
How long had the battle even lasted? Yet the warning icon had already appeared.
'It really is fast.'
-What history, streamer? Don't tell me your memories from a past life really awakened
-I told you he was the Heavenly Demon in his past life
-But⦠if there's history between you, shouldn't you spare him normally?
-Must've been a terrible relationship~
"Not so fast!"
The tip of Mount Hua's sword trembled, scattering red sword energy in all directions.
First Form: Plum Blossom Falling Chaos.
Seojun checked his remaining resources and threw himself backward.
He lacked the internal energy necessary to completely dismantle the enemy martial art like before.
No matter how concentrated the power of Absorption Art became, and no matter how refined his control was thanks to his outstanding senses, he still couldn't use resources infinitely.
"Now!"
The Namgung swordsman's blade, standing far off to the side, shone blue.
He had stayed back to avoid having his internal energy and stamina drained by Seojun.
Seojun twisted his body sideways in midair and brought down his sword, blocking the lightning-fast quick sword strike.
Chaaang!
-He blocked THAT in that position???
-He should be close to deviation now
-First death let's go!!!
-Why are you guys cheering for your streamer to dieβ¦
Then the Mount Hua players, whose martial arts had not been dismantled by Seojun, continued their chained techniques.
Fourth Form: Plum Blossoms Open the Path.
The plum blossoms bloomed and sharply guided the strike forward.
The red sword energy rushed toward Seojun's body, seeking to carve him apart more viciously.
The terrifying aspect of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique was precisely this chaining of forms.
From the First Form into the Fourth Form, then into the Seventh Form that required even deeper masteryβ
"Just die already, please!"
When Seojun failed to dismantle the technique again, the enemies gained momentum and linked into the next form.
Seventh Form: Chaotic Plum Blossoms.
The plum blossoms scattered in endless confusion.
At their current level 6, three chained forms were the limit, and the instant their strongest martial art unfolded without interruption, the Mount Hua players became certain of victory.
Even after being tormented this thoroughly until now.
"Did we get him?"
The enemy uttered the one phrase they never should have said.
The crimson sword energy filling the space vanished, and what remained before them wasβ
Empty space.
"That was a little dangerous this time."
When Seojun's voice came from behind them, their eyes widened as they turned around.
Smiling at them, Seojun gestured with his chin toward his left foot.
There lay a beggar turned into a cold corpse, waiting for revival or resurrection.
[Street Rat Eliminated]
[Enemy Fortress Health -20]
"Tsk. I shouldn't have announced I was targeting the beggar first."
"I told you to stop calling me a beggar!"
Since when?
Though the now-dead Street Rat protested at Seojun's words, Seojun cleanly ignored him and stepped forward.
Now it was time to deal with the rest.
Seojun's health was down to only one-third.
Even that much had been restored by killing Street Rat.
"Still, the Orthodox Sect really does feel overpowered."
-That actually WAS dangerous this time
-If he'd been one second slower, he was dead
-Looking at the streamer almost dying, that build really does seem trash
"Now, now. Calling it trash is too much. It only became dangerous because I deliberately targeted the beggar first. Otherwiseβ¦ wellβ¦"
Seojun trailed off while reading the chat window floating to his left, then slowly turned his head.
Even though it was only a game, the enemies who met Seojun's gaze felt an inexplicable chill run through them.
Jeon Jaehun, the talkative Mount Hua player, swallowed hard before asking Seojun,
"Just⦠when?"
"What are you referring to?"
"Why does your speech keep changing styles, damn it. That's not it. I mean when did you go after the beggar⦠sir?"
Completely overwhelmed by Seojun, Jeon Jaehun had unconsciously begun speaking politely.
-His speech keeps switching styles kkkkkkk
-Just from appearances that guy looks like he's in his 30s while streamer looks early 20s, this is hilarious kkkkkkk
-Jaehun-ahβ¦
Seojun gave a light smile and answered honestly.
"When you unleashed the Fourth Form."
"The Fourth Form? But why then⦠sir?"
"That is for you to understand. It is a task you must solve yourself in the future."
The truth was simply that he didn't have time.
In fact, he had tanked all those attacks head-on while doing it.
Simply because there wasn't enough time.
-Ohhh, the teachings of a master!
-It sounds so profound because he's winning while saying it
"Ah, so there was something hidden in the Fourth Formβ"
Before Jeon Jaehun could finish speaking, Seojun attacked again and resumed the battle.
"And this is the second lesson. No matter what situation arises, never let your guard down."
This was genuinely useful advice.
In his previous life, he had always survived precisely because he never lost focus.
The result of the remaining battle was obvious.
[LeeByeoleseoLeeByeol Eliminated]
[Enemy Fortress Health -20]
[Sky Sword Eliminated]
[Enemy Fortress Health -20]
[Jeon Jaehun Eliminated]
[Enemy Fortress Health -20]
And then.
Seojun looked down at the enemies who had united in harmony as corpses and spoke.
"This is the third lesson. Treasure every opportunity to receive guidance from a master."
There was only one meaning behind those words.
Don't quit the gameβcome die some more.
"Damn it. Once this match ends, I'm definitely joining the Demonic Cult."
"Should I switch too?"
"Seriously. Wanna queue together after this?"
"Sure. Send me a friend request."
Jeon Jaehun and Sky Sword became friends.
Without even realizing it, Seojun had converted two Orthodox Sect martial artists.
Returning to the base once more, Seojun watched the soldiers fighting while waiting for the enemies to come.
[Heavenly Demon, do we really not have to do anything?]
[Correct.]
[Even me?]
[Yes.]
[But I only got killed by the enemy. I haven't killed anyone.]
[At least I got one kill lol]
[Sameγ γ ]
[You are noisy.]
He answered his bored teammates while waiting.
The game ended.
Total kill score.
19 to 3.
Fortress health.
[Blue: 0] vs [Enemy Red: 934]
And then Seojun's report card for the match appeared.
[Allied Revivals: 0]
[Base Captures: 1]
[Soldiers Eliminated: 0]
[Enemy Martial Artists Eliminated: 19]
Various minor details were also counted, but the most important factors were base captures and enemy martial artist kills.
The reason this report card mattered was connected to why Seojun had baited the enemies earlier, telling them not to give up the game.
-So what about the fame points?
-No way they'll be low
-How much do you think he got?
Fame Points.
In the battlefield, players gained Fame Points when they won and lost Fame Points when they lost.
The system automatically calculated a player's performance and awarded Fame accordingly.
And those Fame Points were just as important as points themselves in the battlefield.
[Fame Points Earned: +150]
Seojun unconsciously let out an impressed sound.
"Oh."
A much higher number than he had expected appeared on the screen.
Normally, in a standard match, the best-performing player received around 50 Fame Points.
Which meant the system had judged Seojun's contribution to be roughly three times greater.
-Why is it so high?
-Honestly, after pulling that kind of shit in a 1v4, it'd be weird if it WASN'T high
-The power of smurfing!
-Even considering smurfing, that's still insanely high
The higher your Fame Points, the more battlefield points you could gain whenever you won matches.
In the battlefield, the more you played, the better you performed, and the better your strategies were, the more contribution you could claim.
"Do you think rank 16 is possible?"
-L
-Feels hard to keep doing this every match
-Right now he's smurfing, but once enough time passes and everyone builds Fame Points, he'll start matching against other high-Fame playersγ γ γ Don't think that build's gonna work then
-And there are too many variables to judge it purely by Fame Points
Negative opinions flooded in from people who clearly knew the battlefield well.
Which was understandable.
Even Seojun himself couldn't be certain.
Butβ
For the first time, the playful look in Seojun's eyes completely changed.
The rankings were calculated based on contribution, which linked together Fame Points, battlefield points, and faction bonuses.
And among those rankings, if he wanted to aim for 16th placeβ
He would probably need to become a little more serious.
"Alright then. We're queueing for the next match immediately. And since my build doesn't need base healing anyway, from now on I'll just wait at the entrance to the enemy fortress."
-This lunatickkkkkkkk
-He just declared he's gonna combine toxicity and smurfing at the same time
-Let's see how long this lastsγ γ γ
"Whew, today was exhausting."
-The Heavenly Demon Descends! All Demons Bow Their Heads! The Heavenly Demon Descends! All Demons Bow Their Heads!
-This room is overflowing with cultists
-Can someone translate those Chinese characters??
-It's literally the same thing as the guys spamming it in Korean
[19/0/0]
[24/0/1]
[26/0/0]
[15/0/0]
Those were Seojun's KDAs.
KDA stood for Kill / Death / Assist.
Which meant Seojun averaged 21 kills per game.
For reference, in the second game, he recorded 1 assist because one teammate refused to listen to him.
-Honestly, I don't know about anything else, but streamer's build really is insanely good for smurfing
-Feels like it gets really strong once he hits level 6 and can camp the entrance
-The streamer camps the entrance even before level 6
-Absorption Art looked way tighter on timing than expected, but he still went deathless
-In the last game the enemies stopped leaving the fortressγ γ γ
-Long live the Heavenly Demon! Long live! Long live forever!
-"Long live" is what you say to kings, idiot, not the Heavenly Demon
You could only play four battlefield matches per day.
And there was still a long road ahead.
Now thenβ
"I'll end the stream here."
-Bye stream
-Bye Seojun
-I'm gonna try the Blood Cult too
-Heavenly-bye
-Heavenly-bye
[Ending stream.]
Pshhhhh.
After getting out of the capsule, Seojun washed up and sat down in front of his computer.
He wanted to look through analyses of the stream.
"Six thousand viewers⦠that's quite a lot."
A little fewer than yesterday, but he wasn't disappointed.
"My core viewers are still staying without leaving."
As for people's reactionsβ
Seojun simply shut off the computer and lay down on his bed.
"There probably won't be anything special."
There wasn't much worth becoming a huge topic.
Even if he had earned a lot of Fame Points and smurfed hard, the rankers were doing the same thing.
Right now was still the period where beginners and experts were mixed together.
Once enough time passed and Fame Points accumulated, that was when the truly skilled players would start drawing attention.
"More importantly, the buildβ¦"
The build Seojun used today was incomplete.
He had improvised many of the finer details, so it would probably need adjustments.
Butβ
He was tired.
"Maybe because I focused too hard."
Thinking that, he closed his eyes.
Completely unaware that he had become a hot topic for an entirely different reason.