Chapter 269
7.
The Forbiddenz split in different directions and began scouting the area.
Naturally, any other parties they came across were wiped out.
In a team-based survival match like this, sticking together was obviously more advantageous than splitting up.
Even a monkey could understand that much.
But the Forbiddenz had a reason for splitting up like this.
They were trying to track down a user wielding a weapon imbued with dark energy.
It was suspected to be a cursed weapon.
Jaya was supposedly the only one who could detect it, but—
The idea was that they’d figure it out eventually once the fighting began, so they chose to split up.
Of course, this was a strategy only possible because they were each confident in their own abilities.
And so, on Jaya’s command, they spread out.
Seeing this, the commentary spirit shouted loudly.
[Ahhh!!! Look at this!!! With dazzling spearwork, Keron from Team 72 wipes out an entire party!!!]
[Ah! Team 72! They’ve all split up and are wiping out other parties one by one!!!!]
[Team 72!!! Every one of them is a walking disaster! Especially their leader, Jaya, who’s already wiped out two teams!!!]
The scattered spirits broadcasted each member as ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) they decimated different teams.
On MeTube, which the users were watching, the screen switched between the most exciting scenes.
Naturally, the majority of footage featured the Forbiddenz.
After all, scenes of one person single-handedly destroying an entire team were too thrilling to ignore.
But that wasn’t what really shocked the viewers.
—WTF??? Are they seriously fighting with their cursed weapons sealed???
—Fr though;;;;
—Is this for real?????
—Wait, they’re that strong even with sealed weapons?
—Weren’t sealed weapons supposed to be a tier below average performance? If they’re this strong with sealed gear... aren’t the Forbiddenz just plain broken?
—Exactly;;;;
Even though they were treated like villains for being Karma users...
Their performance and raw skill were undeniable.
Sure, everyone knew they were scumbags personality-wise, but—
Instinctively, humans admire the strong.
So most of the audience couldn’t help but be impressed.
They really were just that strong.
But still.
—God I hope they die ㅠㅠ
—Seriously;;; Can’t they run into those knights already?
—I know right, we still haven’t seen the knights on the stream.
—What about the mages?? Even if they run into the mage team, it’s gonna get wild.
—Exactly.
There weren’t many people actively cheering for the Forbiddenz.
There’s a reason the concept of good triumphing over evil exists—everyone wanted to see the Forbiddenz eliminated.
But then there was Jaya, the leader, splitting up enemy teams with overwhelming mass and destructive power, swinging her greatsword with ease.
Keron, the second, was decimating another party with dazzling spearwork.
Beltaine, the third, used spells with perfect timing to thoroughly suffocate her opponents.
And lastly, Ired, the youngest, was sniping from a distance, finishing them off one by one with precise shots.
Every single one of them had exceptional skill.
And then—
[Ahh! The moment we've all been waiting for! Team 72’s Ired!!! Spots Team 1’s Featherwing Knights in the distance!!!]
At the spirit’s announcement, every user watching fixed their gaze on the screen.
The match everyone had been hoping for.
It was finally happening.
—No way he’s just gonna chicken out and run, right?
—Karma bastards are predictable. He’ll probably bail;;
—Guaranteed;;; Especially Ired—he doesn’t even have a cursed weapon. He’ll definitely just flee.
—LOL I don’t care how good Forbiddenz are, there’s no way they beat knights~
The chat was flooded with mocking comments.
But then—why?
Ired grinned, mischief twinkling in his eyes, gripping his bow tight. He nocked an arrow and drew it back in one smooth motion.
The viewers were stunned.
Was he seriously going to engage even though there were four knights on the other side?
It was like everything they knew about Karma users suddenly didn’t apply.
While the chat blew up, Ired lightly twisted the taut bowstring and let go.
Fwwwooooosh———!!!
The arrow spun viciously as it tore through the air.
Despite the distance, the sound and force it carried were nothing ordinary.
As the arrow screamed through the air, the Featherwing Knights immediately reacted. One of them stepped forward, raising a shield in the direction of the projectile.
But then—
One of the knights must’ve sensed something. He suddenly pulled out a smaller shield and stepped next to the knight who had raised his.
BOOM——!!!
THWACK!
The arrow slammed into the first shield with brutal impact, but then another arrow arced from the side and struck the knight’s flank.
If the second knight hadn’t raised his smaller shield, the arrow would’ve hit the first right in the head.
After that, the knights' expressions changed.
Especially the one who blocked the second arrow—he narrowed his eyes and stared in the direction Ired had shot from.
“Damn, got spotted.”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
He had hoped the sound and presence of the spinning arrow would distract them so the second one could hit unnoticed.
Guess knights were built different.
—??????
—Whoa;;; I didn’t even notice, and I’m watching the video.
—When did he shoot that second one?!
[Team 72’s Ired!!! Right after twisting and releasing the first arrow, he used the recoil to shoot a second one in rapid succession!]
[Meanwhile, Team 1’s Featherwing Knight, Gam! Immediately noticed and protected his teammate, Jatai!]
[A flawless combo!!! Oh! And right as we speak! Team 72’s Ired is already retreating!!!]
As Ired seemed to flee, the knights prepared to give chase—
But their leader, Gam, stopped them.
In this dense jungle, it might seem like an archer would be at a disadvantage.
But only if it were just some average archer.
Based on the skill Ired had just shown—
“If we chase an archer of that caliber, we’ll be the ones at a loss.”
“...Understood.”
An elite archer who could move swiftly through the jungle and fire with precision and stealth?
They’d probably lose two people before even catching him.
Of course, this was the Field of Illusions.
Even as NPCs, they wouldn’t truly die. But they had a mission, didn’t they?
“Don’t forget our objective.”
“Yes, sir.”
At Gam’s words, they all nodded solemnly.
Meanwhile, Ired, who had disengaged, smacked his lips in disappointment.
If they had chased him, he could’ve at least taken one down.
That reaction time, though.
‘Tsk, what a shame.’
Still, he had confirmed their strength.
That was enough.
‘At the very least, that knight named Gam has the skills of a boss-level opponent.’
Thinking that, Ired withdrew from the area.
And the viewers watching couldn’t help but let out a collective gasp.
—Wow, that back-and-forth exchange in that brief moment was insane... How are they reading each other like that?
—Their skill’s legit.
—The other teams don’t even get screen time, lol.
—LMAO show us some of the other teams, come on.
Everyone agreed the Forbiddenz were doing great.
But with the coverage being so heavily focused on them, some viewers were starting to feel things were getting a little one-sided.
Some expressed a desire for more variety on-screen.
It wasn’t that they wanted to see weaker content—but they did want more variety.
And then—
—Huh??? Who’s this team???
—The black robe squad?
—Oh yeah, I remember them from earlier. They seemed kinda interesting.
—Wait, what’s that?
Suddenly, the screen shifted to show four people moving as a group, each cloaked in black robes.
The viewers, remembering their earlier appearance, watched with rising curiosity.
But what appeared before the robed figures wasn’t another team.
“Grrroooaaarrr!!!”
It was a mid-sized boss monster resembling a troll.
They’d said it was a survival field, but—
—Wait, bosses show up too??
—LOL well yeah, makes it feel like a real survival game.
—So it’s not just players killing each other? LOL.
—Guess not. That thing looks crazy strong. Can they even take it down?
The viewers voiced their concerns.
Understandably so.
[Aahh... Poor Team 133 has run into one of the Survival Field bosses. Extremely unlucky! That boss normally requires at least three teams to take down.]
Hearing the commentary spirit’s explanation, it became clear just how hard that boss was to defeat.
So the chat naturally filled with messages of sympathy.
Though, watching someone get wrecked could still be entertaining—
Some were already excited.
—LMAO talk about bad luck.
—Of all things, they get a boss.
—Just accept your fate LOL.
—Eh, maybe they’ll pull it off LOL.
While the chat laughed and joked, one of the black-robed players stepped forward.
Still cloaked, his face remained obscured.
But judging by the sword at his hip, he appeared to be a swordsman.
And the commentary spirit cried out again.
[Ahh, that boss is a troll variant, specialized in regeneration! It has high resistance to slashes and cutting attacks!!! Magic would be the most effective method here! But none of the other teammates are helping! Is Team 133 really okay with this approach?!]
The viewers burst into laughter at the commentary.
—So he’s the sacrifice? LOL.
—Honestly, yeah, better to bail when one gets aggro’d.
—LOL didn’t even do rock-paper-scissors, just straight to sacrifice.
While the chat joked—
The swordsman slowly drew his blade from the scabbard.
His form was precise, and the sword itself wasn’t flashy or ornate.
In fact, it was completely unremarkable.
And yet—why?
All he did was draw his sword, but it pulled every gaze toward him.
Despite its plainness, despite his straightforward movements, no one could look away.
Even the commentary spirit momentarily forgot to speak, and the chat paused in stunned silence.
Then the sword—imbued with quiet intent—moved, and so did the black-robed swordsman.
A clean, direct movement.
The boss, seeing him charge head-on, naturally reacted.
It swung a fist roughly the size of an adult’s torso straight at the swordsman.
It looked like the punch would land squarely on its target.
But in that instant—
The swordsman’s blade shone, drawing a single glowing line in the air, which grew longer and longer.
That line then split across the troll-variant boss’s entire body.
Fsssh, fssshhhh.
The sound of liquid spraying from somewhere rang out sharply—
Before anyone noticed, the swordsman was already behind the boss.
And then—
FWOOOSHHHH!!!
As if detonated from within, the boss’s body was instantly torn to shreds.
As the shredded remains collapsed behind him—
Only the sound of the blade returning to its sheath echoed through the scene.
Srrrrrng.
Click.