‘Why didn’t I see them?’

A tough clothesline that couldn’t be cut or sawed off. At the window, Kraugel was blocking the enemies crossing the clothesline. In other words, he was looking at all the clothesline connected from the building across the street. But he didn’t see Pon or Lauel at all. They suddenly appeared at the windowsill like ghosts.

‘This is it.’

Kraugel was feeling puzzled when his gaze landed on a spear stabbed into the wall. It was a completely dull spear, like the durability had been exhausted.

‘They crawled up the outer wall.’

This five-storey building they were gathered in was old and ugly. The exterior wall was rugged and cracked in places. It was a structure that could be climbed using a tool. However, the condition was showing agility, patience, and concentration.

Suook.

Kraugel watched the two men who surrounded him. One of them was armed with a spear while the other was holding a fan made of iron.

‘Who are they?’

Kraugel was feeling alert when they told him their identities. It was honestly without any lies.

"I am Lauel of the Overgeared Kingdom. Oh, should I introduce myself as American Representative Lauel. This is a separate event not related to the National Competition, but I regret that we couldn’t fight together...”

Shortly before Lauel’s words finished.

Syuk!

Kraugel swung his sword. His target was Lauel. He judged that Lauel needed to be taken care of quickly. What was the identity of the man holding the spear next to Lauel? Of course, it was Pon.

‘Pon is strong.’

On the other hand, Lauel was a schemer. His fighting skills were weak. Kraugel decided to take care of Lauel first before focusing on Pon. That’s why he did a surprise attack. However.

Jjejeong!

“...!”

Lauel blocked Kraugel’s attack, like he predicted it. He read the timing of the sword and opened the fan to defend. Kraugel was surprised by his unexpected skill. His eyes widened but there was no change in expression. Lauel folded the fan back up and placed it against his mouth.

"I have also advanced. Well, it’s a different scale from you who is at the top of 2 billion users.”

Around three years ago, there were 10 geniuses who overturned the world. The young boys and girls topped the rankings despite playing late. They were the very first generation of the 10 Rookies. And Lauel was the best of them. He was praised by countless people. After joining the Overgeared Kingdom, he became a flow master to direct the battle.

“But my basic skills are still present.”

In Battlefield where all characters were the same and strength was determined by control, Lauel was a top player.

Kukuk! He laughed at Kraugel.

“In addition, I have the brilliant mind that allows me to predict your behavior pattern. Kraugel, you will have a pretty tough fight. The blood is boiling in my body. Huhuhut.”

“...”

He truly was an Overgeared member difficult to deal with. Kraugel got goosebumps from the words when a spear flew at him. It was from Pon. Kraugel rolled to the side to avoid it. Then he immediately rose and tried to counterattack.

Jjejeong!

Lauel’s iron fan followed his actions. Kraugel defended and Pon’s spear aimed at the back of his neck. Both of them were quick and fast. It was a perfect pincer attack.

Puok!

Kraugel was bleeding. It was a scene that shocked the world.

『 Kraugel was hit by the enemy first...! 』 

『 It’s a sight I never imagined! 』

The commentators of broadcasting companies around the world made a fuss. It was rare for Kraugel to allow a hit.

“Kraugel!”

Jishuka was surprised by the sudden development and tried to help, but...

Puk! Puk puk!

“Ugh...!”

The arrows constantly flying from the other side of the building made her unable to move. She was forced to hide behind a large leather couch.

'This is annoying!’

Jishuka felt angry at the situation. What was her role? Shoot as many enemies as possible before covering both Grid and Kraugel inside. But the situation was too difficult because the enemies allied with each other.

‘I wanted to win with Grid.’ She wanted to embrace him on the stage while everyone was watching. If the atmosphere was nice then she might’ve kissed him. But this seemed to be difficult. 'I’m incompetent! I am too incompetent!’

Puok!

An arrow flew as Jishuka was busy lamenting. The tip of the arrow pierced through the leather sofa. The leather sofa Jishuka was hiding behind had completely become a hedgehog. 

‘There are almost no spaces left. I will be a hedgehog when I get out of here.’

The interior of the building was too bare and there were many windows. In order to shoot a bow, the target had to be followed with their eyes. But if she left the leather sofa, she would receive a flood of arrows.

'...I can’t follow them with my eyes?’

Then...

‘I will have to use my ears.’

Jishuka took deep breaths to calm herself and closed her eyes. She focused on the footsteps of Kraugel, Pon and Lauel, who were fighting in this narrow space, and pulled her bowstring. At that moment.

Puk puk puk!

Several arrows flew and threatened her.

'Ah, they can see what I’m doing because of the mirror over there.’

Who would place a mirror in an old building with almost nothing in it?

“The map designer had archers in mind. Hah.”

She put down the bow with a deep sigh. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel despair.

‘It is okay. There is a limit to the number of arrows.’

After joining Grid, Jishuka looked for arrows and scriptures and discovered it was actually very hard to find arrows. They were hard to find and even if she found some, there were only one or two. It was an item close to a consumable so a lot of effort was needed to collect it. It would also be the same for the other people.

Jishuka thought that the arrows threatening her would stop soon. On the other hand, what about her?

‘My arrows are now almost endless.’

In the dusty mirror, Jishuka’s beautiful face shone. The sofa and walls filled with arrows made her feel good.

***

‘I’m glad there’s Jishuka.’

The arrows from the other building no longer headed for Kraugel. Kraugel’s evasion rate was high but he was worried that Pon and Lauel would attack in that gap. It was good that the aggro of the archers were completely focused on Jishuka.

‘There’s a problem.’

The close range dealers. Earlier, they had unsuccessfully tried to cross the clothesline and now they were trying to move across again. Kraugel had to get rid of Pon and Lauel as quickly as possible. But Pon and Lauel wasn’t easy opponents.

Chaaeng! Chaeng!

A fan less than 30 centimeters long. Lauel was tangled up with Kraugel and quickly hit him with the iron fan.

Swaeeeeek!

Pon stayed at a medium range and stabbed his spear. As time passed, the two men were completely grabbing Kraugel’s ankles.

Peok!

Lauel, who was struck by Kraugel’s sword in exchange for a punch, smiled instead of panicking. 

"A damage of 1 isn’t possible. Are you irritated because time isn’t on your side?”

Lauel confirmed that his allies had started to cross the clotheslines. Sooner or later, Kraugel would lose his composure. It couldn’t be overlooked that he was still a human. Lauel knew it for certain because he served by Grid’s side. Grid was at the top like Kraugel and didn’t he often lose his composure?

'You will also in the end... Eh?’ Lauel was puzzled as he was immersed in wielding the iron fan. His vision spun and he felt his body being hit. “What?”

He was caught unawares and blown away? Lauel became aware of his situation when he had already fallen to the ground. He was defenseless and Kraugel struck him with the sword.

Puok!

“Cough!”

The moment Lauel was pierced in the chest, Pon’s spear flashed towards Kraugel. Then it was blocked by the shield.

[The defense is successful!]

[The damage received has been reduced.]

[You have suffered 1 damage.]

[The shield’s durability has fallen by one.]

The shield, a warrior only item. It was one of the items that Kraugel had obtained from the ‘underground hunt.’ It could definitely block the enemy’s attack but it lost durability every time it was used to defend. The total durability was only 10. But Kraugel wasn’t disappointed by the loss in the shield’s durability. It was because of who the opponents were The skills of the Lauel and Pon duo were excellent. Kraugel felt it was worth using the shield against them.

Snap!

Kraugel gripped Pon’s spear that was blocked by the shield. Then he used the elasticity of his body to dig it into Pon’s heart.

Puk!

Puk puk puk!

An attack that maximized the benefits of a dagger! He hadn’t reclaimed the sword piercing Lauel and there was already a small dagger in Kraugel’s hand. Two strikes quickly accumulated on Pon’s abdomen.

“Shit...!”

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it happened in the blink of an eye. Lauel lost concentration. But at this moment, the situation completely reversed. Lauel got goosebumps. He rushed to help Pon but Kraugel had already grabbed Pon’s neck and pushed him out the window frame.

Peok!

Kraugel grabbed Pon’s ankle to tilt him out the window and Pon fell out.

“Pon! Kuk!”

What was this creepy and realistic battle? Lauel got a chill as he was left alone. Kraugel dismissed the dagger and took out a new sword from his inventory. It was a great help that he secured many weapons in the underground hunting.

"This place is a big wide so it would be more advantageous for Pon. But as you can see, this is inside a building. From the beginning, the odds were low.”

“You...!”

The word ‘monster’ almost popped out. Lauel barely closed his mouth as he looked out the window. He could see his allies coming on the clothesline.

In addition.

Piing!

He also saw the arrow aiming at Kraugel. The situation started to change rapidly once the archers fired. Lauel’s judgment was quick. Surprisingly, he was running to Jishuka, not Kraugel. It was to create a situation where Jishuka couldn’t control his enemies. Thanks to this, Kraugel was surrounded by arrows. His enemies managed to cross the clotheslines safely and reached the window frame.

Seokeok!

Kraugel judged that the answer wasn’t to avoid the arrows. He used the shield to block the arrows. Then he abandoned the shield that lost its durability.

He took a potion while attacking the enemies hanging on the window frame. But potions were more limited than the shield and Kraugel couldn’t hold out against the arrows forever. In the end, he only caused four enemies to fall and the remaining six enemies succeeded in entering the building.

“Lauel! You bastard!”

Jishuka shouted at Lauel while counterattacking. Lauel was amazed that she could fire an arrow again after being hit with an iron fan.

“Battlefield is great training. Thanks to the battle today, the Overgeared Guild will grow bigger. Please think about your trials as growing pains."

“The training instructor is a dog! A master at ganging up on people! You lousy bastard!”

"...Is it King Grid’s influence? You use a lot of Korean curses. Well, it’s a hundred times better than learning from Huroi’s curses.”

Lauel had regained his composure. Jishuka lost her motivation and her resistance started to weaken. Meanwhile, Kraugel was besieged in a narrow space.

‘We will win.’

Lauel smiled as he watched a man competing with Kraugel. It was Soul Predator Seuron.

"You bastard! I will knock you down!”

Chaaeng! Chaeng chaeng!

Kraugel’s momentum weakened quickly as he blocked Seuron’s sword. He was already in a tired condition. In the first place, it was impossible to stop over 20 enemies. Were the enemies regular players? They were mainly rankers in the top 100. They were talented enough to be called the best wherever they went.

‘I’m sorry, Grid.’

Jishuka felt a sense of defeat as she saw Kraugel’s wounds. She couldn’t help being disappointed that she got help from Grid every time. She was filled with bitter frustration. Then suddenly,

"Kuaaaak!"

“This damn guy...!”

Jishuka came to her senses as she heard an enemy scream. She shifted her gaze and saw that Kraugel was still fighting against the enemies with unshakable eyes. He didn’t care that his health was in the single digits. He was focused. He always did his best. The arrows kept flying from the opposite building and he stood up to the six strongest people without flinching. Every time there was a wound on his body, he dealt two or three injuries to the enemy.

‘Me too...!’

Jishuka’s heart was grabbed. She was inspired by Kraugel, who did his best and didn’t feel despair under the same circumstances. She took a step forward.

At the same time.

Kwajak!

The firmly closed door opened with a loud sound. It was the door connected to downstairs. Yes, the door that the intruders were so eager to open. In addition, it was the door Grid was guarding.

“Grid...!”

At the same time, Jishuka and Kraugel faced the door. They were waiting for Grid. How funny. Could Grid fight alone against 10 enemies? He came here after repelling all enemies. It wasn’t a feasible fantasy.

Indeed.

“...It’s chaos.”

The person who opened the door wasn’t Grid. It was a man armed with a greatsword.

“Chris!” Lauel knew his identity and shouted with pleasure.

‘Grid was defeated?’

‘It’s hard to see.’

Jishuka and Kraugel were forced to accept reality. They thought that Grid hadn’t survived. It was a reasonable judgment. So what if he could restore his health with scriptures? He could only inflict 1 damage on the enemy... Such a non-threatening attack couldn’t wipe out 10 of the strongest people. Jishuka’s face filled with dark clouds while Kraugel silently wielded the sword.

“Then... I wish you luck... Cough!”

Chris, who opened the door, suddenly coughed up blood and turned to grey.

Then.

"Ah, what is with you guys? Why are you so late? No matter how long I waited, I had to do it all by myself. Sigh, forget it.”

Grid appeared among the grey ash scattering.

“Wave.”

Sharp flashes reminiscent of a crescent moon cut down many enemies at the same time.