Chapter 54
Chapter 54: One of the Two Dies
—Kekekekeke
—Even Ozone gets split in half?
—This is genuinely in the realm of luck, isn't it? Kekeke
—Should I just not bet? I honestly have no idea with this one.
—Where the hell am I supposed to put my money? Keke
[Over 3 Minutes—103,000 POINTS vs Under 3 Minutes—84,000 POINTS]
['Haven't Grasped It Yet' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—Short bettors, I'm telling you, it's always long until every last one of them gets wiped out.
—But which side is even the safe bet? Kekeke
—Honestly, both are too ambiguous to tell which is the favorite. Keke
—The Golden Balance is seriously insane. Kekeke
—But the fact that Mu-yeong pinned it at exactly 3 minutes—doesn't that mean he's confident?
—He's never even faced a Lizardman before; how would he know?
—Honestly even me with my cracked head is confused about this one.
['Safe Bettor' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—You all don't know what the Alliance Leader's title is, do you? It's God of Martial Arts. God of Martial Arts. Just trust him and go in. Keke
—I mean, God of Martial Arts does check out……
—But isn't he on the same level as the Shaolin Head Abbot? If the two of them fought, who'd win?
—And the divide begins immediately. Kekeke
—This one's going to split people into camps.
—Whatever else you say, at least you can say his eye for things is sharp. Keke
['100-Hour Veteran' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—These Lizardman bastards move in groups of five and each one uses individual tactics, so they're a pain to deal with. They shoot arrows from on top of boulders too, it's absolutely chaotic. Keke
—Like I care?
—Yeah, well, a single slash is still a massacre~
—If even one out of a hundred escapes, you can't clear it, right?
—Oh, you'll catch them all. Keke But this is a timed attack, isn't it?
—I put my entire life savings on not clearing it in time. Let's gooo~
—That guy's heading for ruin. Keke
[Over 3 Minutes—207,000 POINTS vs Under 3 Minutes—179,000 POINTS]
With a slight difference, the over-3-minutes side held the lead.
Mu-yeong smiled at the heated contest.
Honestly, I don't know how this will go either.
It wasn't as if he'd faced one before, so how could he estimate the time?
Three minutes was simply a figure decided by looking at the number one hundred alone.
For anything more precise, he would have to go there in person, read the terrain, and judge from there.
"Then I'll head out immediately."
.
.
.
.
Plateau terrain.
One might imagine the typical orange landscape of nothing but rocks, but it isn't necessarily like that.
There are patches of vivid green covered in moss and grass, and places where trees have grown dense enough to look like a small forest.
It wouldn't be wrong to call it a rocky terrain with a modest amount of plant life scattered throughout.
Within it, Mu-yeong and Yu Ye-rin had concealed themselves behind a large boulder and begun their observation.
"They certainly look like creatures that would thrive in a place like this."
"The nickname 'lizards' is meant lightly—please don't underestimate them. They're well over 2 meters tall, covered in tough scales, wield weapons, and communicate with each other. They're intelligent monsters."
"Quite clever creatures, then."
"Exactly. Lizardmen even employ strategy, which makes them a completely different level of threat compared to Orcs and Goblins who just charge in blindly. See those over there?"
Yu Ye-rin pointed ahead.
Five Lizardmen were making their patrol rounds.
One shield-bearer, two spear-bearers, two archers.
"The composition shifts slightly, but they typically travel in groups of five like that. So the usual approach is to either melt down the shield-bearer all at once or take out the archers first—though that's much easier said than done."
"Surely rushing in without a plan would lead to quite a struggle."
"That's why the standard strategy is to lure one group at a time and pick them off individually, but……"
Yu Ye-rin stared intently at Mu-yeong.
Her gaze bore down like a laser, practically saying: You're not going to do that, are you?
Mu-yeong let out a quiet smirk and stepped forward.
"Cover your ears for a moment."
"My ears?"
"And I'd appreciate it if everyone watching the stream turns down the volume too. If you don't, I can't be held responsible."
—Hey hey? Don't do this.
—I muted safely. Keke
—Quickly take out your earphones, I'm warning you! Keke
—Looks like we'll all be meeting at the ENT clinic tomorrow. Kekeke
—The neighbors of anyone playing on speaker are about to come knocking. Kekeke
A few sharp-witted viewers dropped their volume to the minimum.
And for good reason—whenever a Martial Artist said something like this, the same kind of technique always followed.
['Everyone Cover Your Ears!!!' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—Your eardrums are gonna burst!!!!!!
Before the donation message even finished—
"All. Of. You. Come. At. Me—!!!"
Mu-yeong's Lion's Roar swept through the ravine.
The shockwave that followed struck every corner of it like a storm.
Hooooong!
Yu Ye-rin's long black hair and Martial Robe whipped about wildly.
The grass and trees in the distance did the same.
But nothing reacted more violently than the Lizardmen.
"Humans! It's humans!"
"Kill them!"
"Tear them apart!"
The nearby groups let out ferocious cries and came charging in like a frenzy.
At the same moment, a tremendous rumbling erupted from all directions.
Kuguguguung!
Not just a few of them.
At least several dozen.
They were all charging toward him at once.
"Wha…… What?"
Watching the dust clouds billow up, Yu Ye-rin's face went blank.
She hadn't anticipated this turn of events.
She'd been imagining something like a shadowy assassination—slipping through groups of five one by one, swiftly, and moving on.
But this was……
[LV20: Lizard Spear-Bearer]
[LV20: Lizard Archer]
[LV20: Lizard Shield-Bearer]
"Grrrrrr……"
"Human. Will kill."
"I'll tear open your belly!"
"Noisy one!"
Before long, Mu-yeong was completely boxed in by Lizardmen on all sides.
Leaving not a single gap, they surrounded him and glared at him with menacing expressions.
Flexing muscles, drooling, thrusting weapons forward.
—Wow, the way they're staring is so terrifying. Kekeke
—If I were there I would've wet myself. Kekeke
—Even watching through a screen I'm getting chills. Kekeke
—But doesn't this actually make 3 minutes possible? Kekeke
—That's what I thought before, but now that I'm seeing this……
Mu-yeong calmly absorbed the gazes.
Minimum 50 in sight alone.
And counting the rest coming from a distance after hearing the commotion, it seemed like they would add up to around a hundred.
Sriiing.
Mu-yeong drew his sword and turned the hilt over in his fingers.
He had already thought through how to handle this.
The problem was the Alliance Leader and the Shaolin Head Abbot, both watching with wide open eyes.
When dealing with large numbers, this is the best method, but……
Those two had a very high chance of recognizing the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
There was a risk of his identity being exposed, yet he couldn't hide it unconditionally forever.
He wasn't going to go his whole life without ever using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, after all.
"Yu Ye-rin."
"Yes?"
"Can you handle ten?"
"Ten is no problem, but……"
"I'd appreciate it within 3 minutes."
Having confirmed her nod, Mu-yeong lowered his upper body.
He assumed a stance similar to a quick-draw, then cast a brief glance at the chat window.
—Really?
—Heart pounding
—Can he break through?
—Even I'm nervous. Keke
—Let's gooo!
Heavenly Demon Three Swords, Second Form.
Heavenly Demon Flash.
8th-Tier.
"Start the clock on your own."
Swick!
The moment Mu-yeong's words ended, the Lizardmen in front froze.
A scene as if time itself had stopped.
In a single instant that none save a handful of masters could comprehend, a translucent blue window appeared.
[You have leveled up.]
—???
—??
—What?
—A level-up out of nowhere?
—Wasn't he at Level 14, 30%?
At the same time—
Fyushuuush!
A fountain of green blood erupted.
From the necks of approximately thirty Lizardmen directly ahead.
—Insane! Kekekeke
—What the—Kekekeke
—What did I just watch? Kekeke
—What is going on?! Kekeke
—The massacre begins!! Kekeke
Before the lizards' heads soaring through the air could fall, Mu-yeong kicked off the ground.
He charged at the rest, who had not yet grasped what had happened.
Fyushuuush!
Only after five more had fallen did focus return to those bright yellow eyes.
"S-Snap out of it!"
"Kill them!"
"Don't flinch!"
"We outnumber them!"
But not a trace of that earlier swagger remained anywhere.
Terror and disbelief.
If thirty-five comrades had been cut down in the blink of an eye, anyone would be the same.
But there was no time for even that.
Crack!
Mu-yeong cleaved the Lizardman that had been advancing with its shield raised, splitting it clean in half.
Two spears lunged out from directly behind.
He jerked his head back to dodge.
Spinning in a full rotation right then, Mu-yeong separated the two spear-bearers' heads from their bodies.
"Die!"
An archer at the rear drew its bow.
Center of the chest.
The instant the creature released the bowstring, Mu-yeong shot his arm forward.
He grabbed the arrow flying straight at him and stopped it with his fist.
"Krrk!?"
The creature's eyes went wide without limit as its decisive blow failed.
He returned the gift to the flustered archer.
One more corpse, with an arrow lodged in its forehead, was added to the count.
—Kyaaaaaaaaa
—Insane! Kekeke
—And they bet against him seeing this? Kekeke
—So incredibly cool. Keke
Having wiped out an entire party, Mu-yeong glanced over at Yu Ye-rin.
She was dealing with five on her own.
Though she was being pushed by sheer force, it didn't look like she would actually lose.
She went through Bone Marrow Cleansing—this much should be expected.
In fact, two corpses were already lying on the ground around her.
Relieved of concern, Mu-yeong charged at the ones retreating.
Swick! Crack! Thud!
—57 down in just 1 minute! Kekeke
—Short bettors already turning red in the face, aren't they? Kekeke
—I told you to bet the safe side! Keke
—If you couldn't trust Mu-yeong, then you deserve to lose. Keke
['The One True God Mu-yeong' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—Anyone already grinning at the thought of cooking ramen on the heads of short bettors, give a thumbs up! Kekeke
—Fair enough.
—Thumbs up! Keke
—I've already torn open the packet. Keke
—It'll probably burn to a crisp, it's so hot. Keke
A one-sided massacre.
But that atmosphere didn't last long.
"Re—Retreat!"
"Run!"
"We can't win!"
The demoralized Lizardmen had begun to flee.
It would have been ideal if they'd gone in one direction, but they scattered in every direction, making pursuit difficult.
—Long bettors who got all excited thinking they'd win, give a thumbs up! Kekeke
—3 minutes to kill a hundred? Kekeke
—Honestly, if you have a brain, at least use it a little. Keke
—Long bettors entering the technical silence zone! Kekeke
['Person Who Bet Their Entire Savings on Contrarian' has donated 10,000 Won.]
—I knew this would happen—did you really think eating up those points would be easy? Keke
—You win once, then you have to lose again. Kekeke
—I could already tell from the moment you started bragging at the beginning. Keke
—What on earth gave you the confidence to bet the favorite? Keke
Unlike the viewers' reactions, Mu-yeong was calm.
Around 20 remaining. I'll take them all.
Rather than chasing the stragglers, he picked up pebbles from the ground.
He selected ones of an appropriate size and flicked them one by one, gauging their weight.
There's something I picked up from playing Battle Attack.
That when dealing with distant enemies, there was no need to launch sword energy or sword force.
Mu-yeong tucked a pebble between his fingers.
He took aim at a Lizardman showing its back, then loaded it with a full surge of internal energy.
He flicked.
Shwooooong!
Thwip!
A projectile that pierced clean through the Lizardman's head.
The creature lost all strength and crumpled face-down.
—?
—???
—Why'd it drop dead?
—What?!
—Finger gun???
—What even is this?! Keke
While the chat window was plastered with question marks, Mu-yeong confirmed the effect and took aim at the next fugitive.
Taking down all twenty took less than ten seconds.
The final result was 2 minutes 32 seconds.
"That makes it a victory for the Alliance Leader."
—Kekekeke
—He actually did it. Kekeke
—Short bettors disappeared instantly. Kekeke
—This is what Mu-yeong's all about. Keke
—Wooow!! Kekeke
Mu-yeong cracked his knuckles.
At the same moment, a very excited donation came in.
['Sword Wraith Hwang Il-chung' has donated 1,000 Won.]
—Bald monk! Keke Finally coming to your senses? Kyakya!