Chapter 22
Chapter 22: The Killer of the Bomber Killer.
"Ah, it really is No Song-baek. Five kills already? What an overwhelming score!"
"The remaining count is now 38. With this many high-tier players, the numbers are dropping at an insane rate!"
"As the saying goes, you get hit by a truck, right? Some communities have started calling it not a Battle Royale, but a truck-dodging game."
"Can't argue with that. Hahaha!"
Kim Cheol and Song Jae-woo had their eyes practically glued to one screen.
There were plenty of other games to watch, but No Song-baek was simply the most entertaining, and the viewers' reactions reflected that.
"I've watched countless Daehwasan Sect warriors over the years, but I've never seen anyone use the Five-Formation Plum Blossom Step this masterfully. What level of mastery must you reach before the scent of plum blossoms drifts with every step you take?"
"Exactly. Even we're getting dizzy just watching from the screen—imagine actually being on the receiving end. You'd feel like you'd seen a ghost."
"Oh, it'd be absolutely devastating. And on top of that…… Ah, breaking news! Gu Yu-do has just been eliminated!"
Kim Cheol raised his voice and zoomed in on the minimap.
He pointed to a red skull marker hovering over a field roughly 200 meters from the Swamp.
Song Jae-woo was shocked.
"What!? The Gu Yu-do who was practically guaranteed a spot in the main rounds? Who on earth did something that brutal?"
"The kill log shows 'WillWinTournament.'"
"What? Isn't that the Unranked player from earlier?"
"I was puzzled myself…… Let's check the surrounding users for now!"
But within a 200-meter radius, there was no one else.
Kim Cheol couldn't picture what had possibly happened to cause such a massive upset, and he cautiously opened his mouth.
"No Song-baek must have been in a tough fight beforehand and had very low HP. 'WillWinTournament' spotted him in that state and took him out before he could even resist."
"Haha, well, that's really the only explanation, isn't it? No Song-baek was known for his sharp aim and flashy footwork, after all."
Both of them fixed their eyes on the user sprinting toward the Swamp.
For some reason, they couldn't look away.
"He's definitely fast."
"Seems like it wasn't all just luck."
Kim Cheol and Song Jae-woo looked at each other.
There's definitely something about this person.
Both nodded at the same time.
As if by agreement, they switched the screen.
From No Song-baek to the mysterious Unranked player.
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Anyone who stepped into the Swamp would inevitably have one thought.
This is the Amazon!
Tall, dense trees packed tightly together.
Murky water rising to the ankles, thick with aquatic plants.
And wooden plank houses built above it all.
An eerie yet awe-inspiring sight of nature.
But among players, the Swamp had earned a different nickname.
The Graveyard of Martial Artists.
The mud that made movement a struggle restricted footwork.
The trees that blocked sight lines created the perfect environment to get ambushed.
The data proved it.
Whenever the safe zone landed here, the survival rate of martial artists dropped sharply—that said it all.
Of course, regular players weren't immune either, but what mattered was the drop in those who made it to the end.
As a result, the Swamp wasn't a particularly popular map.
Still, there were times when players were forced inside to escape the closing Gas.
In those moments, there were always users who had set up beforehand and lay in wait.
Like crocodiles lurking in the water, hunting prey.
"There."
Mu-yeong fixed his gaze on a two-story plank house in the distance.
Something was stirring in a narrow gap between the boards.
He extended his energy sense, and he knew for certain.
Someone had set a trap and was waiting for prey.
Underhanded, perhaps—or clever, depending on how you looked at it.
The problem was that it wasn't just one or two people doing the exact same thing.
One lying flat on a rooftop, waiting for Mu-yeong to enter range.
One crouched in the bushes, just barely poking a barrel out.
And for some reason, one waiting submerged in the water.
Spaced at measured distances, they were all quietly scanning the area with restless eyes.
Why aren't they fighting each other?
It was so still it almost seemed like a ceasefire had been arranged.
Only the chirping of insects and the soft lapping of water broke the silence.
Mu-yeong concealed his presence as well.
I'll have to deal with them one by one without anyone noticing……
The Battle Attack system made assassination impossible.
Going in close made noise, and he didn't have enough grenades to handle everyone.
For now, he'd have to watch and wait.
They couldn't stay like this forever.
Just as Mu-yeong held his breath, a dark shadow whooshed overhead.
"Kuhahaha! Did you think I wouldn't see you hiding like that? You filthy little rats!"
A man flying through the air.
He wore a bulging backpack on both shoulders and bounded from rooftop to rooftop.
Then a flood of explosives rained down.
"D-dodge!"
"Damn, it's Choo Geol-gae! It's the Bomber Killer Choo Geol-gae!"
"He was in the same game!"
The ambushers shot to their feet.
They tried to flee, but before they could even take a step, a tremendous explosion erupted.
Boom boom boom boom!
Four spots went off in near-simultaneous detonations.
The timing was precise, but what was truly astonishing was the accuracy of each throw.
Mu-yeong watched with interest.
Choo Geol-gae, was it? Must be a Beggars' Gang member.
He was curious.
He seemed like a master of Lightness Technique, yet he used grenades instead of a gun.
From the way he moved, he seemed well-practiced—had he always played this way?
Something interesting had appeared.
Mu-yeong's eyes lit up as he tracked Choo Geol-gae's movements.
Wondering if he might show off some new method or technique.
Rummage, rummage.
A moment later, Choo Geol-gae began enthusiastically farming the loot.
Looking more closely, he was only picking up explosive-type items.
Fragmentation grenades on the right, Javelins stored on the left.
That does make it a lot easier to manage.
Good to know.
Mu-yeong nodded—and at that moment, Choo Geol-gae spun around.
He swept his sharp gaze across the direction where Mu-yeong was hidden.
"……I could've sworn something was there. Did I imagine it?"
Their eyes had seemed to meet for a split second, but it appeared he hadn't been spotted.
Still, he had a suspicious nature and didn't pull his gaze away easily.
Fittingly so, for someone who had just wiped out an entire ambush.
Mu-yeong held his breath further, and Choo Geol-gae dug into his pocket.
"Still, best to make sure."
He casually tossed a fragmentation grenade.
A round explosive in a gentle arc, sailing straight toward Mu-yeong.
Just before it hit, he snatched it out of the air and hurled it back.
Bang!
"Figured. My instincts are never wrong. Kept feeling this crawling sensation for a reason."
Spotting Mu-yeong, Choo Geol-gae flashed a grin.
His gold tooth caught the sunlight.
"I'll give you credit, though. Almost no one has ever slipped past my detection for even a moment."
Choo Geol-gae.
He was no ordinary beggar of the Beggars' Gang.
He held three knots of rank, a Squad Commander, and served as the leader of the pursuit squad in times of crisis.
Quick to process information, sharp-minded, and no slouch in martial arts.
His other nickname, fittingly, was Jack of All Trades.
To Choo Geol-gae's eye, Mu-yeong looked like nothing special.
Just a shotgun, and a bag so flat it looks like it's starving. Must have been too busy hiding to farm any items.
And there was more.
He had a saber strapped to his back—one nobody ever used.
Who on earth carries something that heavy around.
Good grief.
Choo Geol-gae gave a snort and picked up five Javelins.
The guy was stuck in the Swamp, so his movement would be compromised.
Planting them all around him would guarantee he'd get caught in the blast and die.
His calculation complete, he swung his arm casually.
Without even checking the result, he spun on his heel.
"At that level of skill, clearing the qualifiers would've been a struggle anyway. Better to get eliminated early and go rest—better for both of us…… Hm?"
Tap tap tap!
The sound of something splashing through water.
Getting closer.
Choo Geol-gae glanced back, and his eyes couldn't believe what they saw.
Mu-yeong, who had been ankle-deep in mud, was running straight toward him.
Not just running—gliding across the surface of the water.
"That…… could that be——!"
A Water-Treading flight technique that most martial artists could only dream of.
A Lightness Technique that demanded immense energy and focus, nearly impossible to sustain.
"Water-Treading Flight?"
A stunned Choo Geol-gae stared at Mu-yeong's feet.
He wasn't stepping on fallen branches or floating plants—he was genuinely leaping across the water's surface.
How is he pulling that off?
I only learned it myself not long ago.
Snapping back to his senses, Choo Geol-gae revised his assessment.
From nothing special to dangerous.
Then he threw open his bag.
"You've got a trick up your sleeve! But can you dodge this?"
A storm of fragmentation grenades scattered through the air.
He had calculated both the blast radius and the detonation timing.
No matter how fast the opponent was, there was no space to dodge.
Especially not on water.
But Mu-yeong did something completely unexpected.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
He drew the saber from his back and began batting them away one by one.
With the casual swing of someone swinging a baseball bat.
"What——!!!"
Choo Geol-gae's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
Just running on water was exhausting enough—and he was wielding a saber on top of that?
One lapse in concentration and he'd sink immediately—how?
But that wasn't even the real problem.
Mu-yeong hadn't simply been batting them away.
Swoooosh!
Every single one was flying straight back at Choo Geol-gae.
Something that defied understanding, impossible to make sense of no matter how many times he watched.
Every hair on his body standing on end, he pulled back on instinct.
But it was too late.
Boom boom boom!
"Kraaaagh!"
Explosions erupted one after another before he could dodge.
Seizing that moment, Mu-yeong swung his right arm behind him.
Now that barrage has stripped all his Shield. Push hard before he can recover, and it's over.
Target: Choo Geol-gae on the rooftop.
Without slowing down, Mu-yeong hurled the saber with everything he had.
At the same time, he kicked off the water and launched himself into the air.
Whooosh!
Spinning once through the air, Mu-yeong landed squarely on top of the saber.
Watching Choo Geol-gae close in fast, he pulled the safety pin.
He shoved it precisely into his stiffened, wide-open mouth.
"Mmph? Mmmmph!?"
A moment later, a massive explosion erupted.
[WillWinTournament -> Choo Geol-gae — Blown to Pieces]
Every player who saw the kill log had exactly the same thought.
Bet he walked into a spray of gunfire and got wrecked. Serves him right.
None of them knew who it was, but they were grateful to 'WillWinTournament' for delivering the lesson.
The nickname was now burned into everyone's memory.
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—Dude what the hell lol
—You beat the Bomber Killer with his own grenades?
—The Killer of the Bomber Killer lololol
—What was that running on water just now?? lol
—I was more amazed by him flying on the saber like a magic carpet lol
The official commentary broadcast's chat was going absolutely haywire.
With 30,000 viewers watching, it nearly lagged out.
Among them were some of Mu-yeong's dedicated fans.
—Isn't this pretty normal for him though?
—He held back lol
—As if that has-been could ever beat Mu-yeong lol
But they were quickly buried in the sheer speed of new messages.
If the general viewers were like this, what about the commentators?
Having watched Predator and pro-level matches, would they think it was nothing special?
"Uh…… Uh……?"
"Wh-what did I just watch?"
"Eh……? Eeeeh?"
Kim Cheol made a strange noise like someone who had lost the ability to speak.
As if unable to believe what he'd just seen, he craned his neck forward and stared at the screen.
His utterly blank expression was blown up in close-up.
But Song Jae-woo right beside him had no room to point that out.
Drip…… drip…….
His clear saliva was soaking into his script.
After a few more drops fell, he finally came to his senses and nudged Kim Cheol's side.
Kim Cheol shuddered and immediately bowed his head.
"Ah—ahem. I've made quite an embarrassing spectacle of myself. Apologies."
"It's just that we've never seen technique of that caliber before……. Apologies."
—You'd have to be weird NOT to react like that lol
—Honestly I was drooling too lol
—Who even is that user? Didn't they say Unranked earlier?
—Feels like an alt account honestly
—It was a full biometric scan though, what do you mean alt account;
In truth, Kim Cheol and Song Jae-woo still hadn't fully processed the situation.
They'd switched over just for a quick peek at the user who killed Gu Yu-do, and now they'd witnessed this insane display.
The two looked at each other again.
Neither said a word, but it felt like telepathy.
Don't you dare switch the screen.