Chapter 55: Dragon Phoenix Gathering (3)
[Detailed rules will be explained.]
[Please look at the ‘map’ at the top here.]
[You are marked with a red circle.]
In the bottom right corner.
A map resembling a minimap was displayed along with the red circle.
The score was also displayed.
[When you defeat an opponent, their score is transferred to you in its entirety.]
[For each point of score, all ability values increase by 10%.]
[The higher your score, the higher the probability that your location will be displayed on your opponent’s map.]
[After a certain period of time, some areas will be changed to no-survival zones. This will be marked on the map.]
[The ranking will be calculated and displayed every 30 minutes.]
[Well then, good luck.]
“This is interesting.”
The rules were incredibly malicious.
The more you killed, the stronger you became, but the more your location was displayed and the more likely you were to be ambushed.
It seemed less dangerous than he thought, even if he swept up the points.
Was it because the candidates were weak?
They had gathered the thirty strongest people in the martial arts world.
Even if they teamed up on only five of them, they couldn’t easily guarantee victory.
‘The rules will hold me back.’
Human selfishness has a power of influence beyond imagination.
If you kill your opponent, you get all the points.
It wasn’t an even distribution.
In this case, when an exceptionally strong person emerges, will the bastards who gang up on them be able to do it wholeheartedly?
That too, in a structure where only three can survive?
‘I absolutely can’t do that.’
They’ll end up flipping over each other’s eyes trying to strike the final blow, twisting their arms and legs and getting eaten by lions.
That’s the picture that comes to mind.
‘Then there’s only one thing I can do.’
Kill them all and become the strongest the fastest.
He, who had summoned Cedric, began to move.
Whether he was looking for Seo Yerim.
Or a candidate walking down the road.
After walking for about ten minutes.
He faced a familiar face.
Second son, Baek Cheolyong.
He was the candidate who had achieved 4th place with 9,700 points.
They stared at each other for a moment.
“Socheon, you’re alive! It’s a relief that you’re alive. In times like these, shouldn’t brothers stick together?”
They narrowed their eyes and closed the distance, smiling at each other.
Then Baek Cheolyong lunged in all at once.
He swung his sword with his distorted eyes.
A swordsmanship that would accurately pierce the head.
Kim Minwoo tilted his head back.
Baek Cheolyong’s eyes widened.
He was about to bring his sword down in one motion.
In an instant, Cedric, who was standing next to him, thrust his spear forward.
Kim Minwoo and Cedric launched a two-pronged attack at him as he twisted his body in a hurry.
Sparks flew as the two swords and spears collided.
This second son was much better than the fourth son.
He’s a guy who knows the basics.
But he couldn’t go through the intensive course.
Before even twenty moves had passed.
A sword was plunged deep into Baek Cheolyong’s chest.
A moment of stiffness.
Cedric’s spear pierced his entire body.
Baek Cheolyong spat out blood.
The guy who was looking at Cedric and Kim Minwoo as if he couldn’t believe it, licked his lips.
[Remaining Players: 29]
A message appeared on the map.
His body felt much lighter.
[30 minutes have passed. Rankings will be tallied.]
[1st Place Baek Socheon, 4 points]
[2nd Place Choi Ang-ang, Seok Woncho 3 points]
[3rd Place Namgung Hyeji, Baek Muhan, Choi Mubaek 2 points]
Gong Shim, the warrior monk of the Shaolin Temple, chanted.
A fight where they had to kill and be killed until only three were left.
This test was particularly brutal.
The only saving grace was that the members of the Murim Alliance who were here now had somehow formed a group.
It was a situation where they should be grateful that the group was small but united.
Otherwise, the scores of the top ranks might have been higher by now.
“……Shouldn’t we also accumulate points quickly?”
Everyone fell silent at the question of Jin Chunmyung, the great disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.
They were lucky enough to only encounter members of the Murim Alliance and join forces. So all four of them had 1 point.
Ten people had died in just 30 minutes.
It was as clear as day what would happen if things continued .
They would be eaten by those who had scored points.
“……Yes. Warriror Chunmyung is right. We should move quickly as well.”
[‘Baek Socheon’ is marked on the map.]
[Duration: 5 minutes]
A red circle appeared on the painting called the ‘map’.
It was a distance that could be reached in less than 5 minutes if you ran diligently.
He wasn’t even a colleague from the Murim Alliance who ate from the same pot.
There was no need to hesitate to deal with him.
The eyes of the four sparkled.
“This is enough to recover the points at once.”
“Of course. But his skills must be considerable. Maybe he’s one of the top candidates among their candidates.”
A guy who killed three in just 30 minutes.
He must have tremendous skills.
At Jin Chunmyung’s question, the faces of the other three showed signs of deep worry.
Gong Shim said, raising his hand.
“We need to face a strong opponent. It is more important than anything to match hands and feet. So we need to decide in advance. Who will kill him?”
It was something that could be understood in the head.
But, strangely, their hearts were pounding.
A suffocating silence followed.
Only three people can survive.
But there are a total of four people gathered here.
This means that in the end, one person must die.
However, the person who kills Baek Socheon is very likely to survive the exam.
So no one could easily open their mouths.
“……Amitabha. I’ll leave. Please decide among the three of you.”
The remaining three people exchanged opinions.
They even drew lots hastily before deciding on the lucky one.
Jin Chunmyung of the Mount Hua Sect.
He was the one to get the points.
“It’s just going back a little bit. After that, with the power of Master Chunmyung, we can also quickly raise our scores.”
At Gong Shim’s words, the two nodded.
However, they could not completely dispel the tremors contained within.
‘……It can’t be helped.’
Gong Shim sighed inwardly.
In anticipation of such a thing, he was originally only going to accept up to three.
Because it was the maximum number that could move while trusting each other to the end.
But he kept meeting Murim Alliance members.
It was not something he could just leave behind, saying that it was full of three and leave the rest behind.
In the end, there were four, and it was inevitable that an uneasy atmosphere would be felt.
Even if everyone here survives to the end, one of them must surely die.
It was a cruel reality.
That’s how the four people started moving towards the place where Baek Socheon was.
Soon, his figure came into view.
The Murim Alliance members, who saw the skeletons standing around him, narrowed their eyes.
‘Is he a Necromancer?’
Necromancers, who mainly deal with the dead, were vulnerable to close combat.
If they just narrowed the distance, it was a fight they couldn’t lose.
The murderous energy of four people engulfed the surroundings.
Baek Socheon, who turned around, grinned.
“Four? Are you all gathered to kill one of you later?”
Gong Shim, who shouted the lion’s roar, rushed in like lightning.
Pure internal energy gathered in his palms, and soon the martial arts of Shaolin, which he had trained for a lifetime, poured down like rain.
The remaining three also rushed in.
Their respective energies were unleashed, overwhelming Baek Socheon.
The skeleton holding the spear began to show off.
The four people’s eyes were filled with vigilance.
They thought they wouldn’t have to worry about the skeleton much, but it wasn’t at all.
“Golden Master! Please take care of that skeleton!”
Geum Nakcheol, with a gloomy impression, nodded and began to engage in a one-on-one duel with the skeleton holding the spear.
The remaining three attacked Baek Socheon fiercely.
Baek Socheon was slowly pushed back by the combined attack of the three masters.
On top of that, small wounds appeared all over his body.
Baek Socheon smiled sinisterly when he saw Jin Chunmyung bravely throwing a dagger.
He saw the plum blossom pattern embroidered on his clothes and said.
“Ah, is Mount Hua going to get the points? That’s good.”
“Don’t be fooled by all these sly words!”
Gong Shim shouted urgently.
He wanted to finish it as quickly as possible.
The problem was that Baek Socheon was holding out too well.
He even had the leisure to talk even in the midst of the combined attack.
“Don’t you think it’s ending too quickly? This is the power of points. But are you going to give this up? Really?”
No matter how much he tried to ignore it, he couldn’t close his ears.
Greed began to flicker in the eyes of those attacking him, little by little.
Until now, they had all been worth 1 point, so they hadn’t been able to get a sense of how effective the points were.
But looking at Baek Socheon, they seemed to get a general idea.
Judging by the fact that he was able to withstand the combined attack of the top Murim Alliance candidates to this extent…
“If you catch me, Mount Hua will definitely survive. Who are you going to kill? The gloomy-looking guy? Or him, the old one?”
The two checked each other, and one of them threw a dagger, aiming for a weakness.
The coordinated attack, which had been so precise, began to falter a little.
Baek Socheon, who had gained a little leeway, kept his mouth open.
“Both of you? Hey, you chubby guy! So it’s agreed that you’re the one to sacrifice?”
Gong Shim’s words were stopped in his throat.
What the hell is he talking about?
He was a warrior monk not a Taoist.
He practiced martial arts to gain fame and riches.
He didn’t train all his life to die a dog’s death in a place .
But he couldn’t deny it outright.
It was obvious that his morale would be crushed if he did.
Sometimes silence is the answer.
Everyone’s attacks began to gradually turn into daggers.
All three of them became increasingly impatient.
A little more deadly attack.
A little sharper attack.
An attack that could kill in one shot.
All of these things had to be big moves.
In an instant, the sharp checks and balances all disappeared.
The price for showing a gap was deadly.
In an instant, one’s neck was cut off.
Lee Jehyung, with an old impression.
A master who played the role of the pillar of the Lee family was killed in an instant.
“Ah, it seems I’m going to live a little longer now.”
Baek Socheon’s score jumped to 5 in an instant.
Gong Shim and Jin Chunmyung.
Their spines ran cold.
Even though they attacked him together, they could only push him back a little.
But now there were only two left.
And the enemy had become much stronger than before.
Geum Nakcheol, with his gloomy demeanor, was still fiercely fighting the skeleton.
In fact, he was slowly being pushed back.
The two masters made their judgments quickly.
The speed at which they turned their bodies was an art.
But unfortunately, the 5-point Baek Socheon was much faster.
Jin Chunmyung’s neck flew into the sky.
And the blade pierced Gong Shim’s heart.
“Why did you have to hang out with those untrustworthy bastards? Like an idiot.”
The blade was pulled out.
Gong Shim collapsed to the floor.
The same thing happened to Geum Nakcheol, the last one left.
The level that kept going up by 2’s and 3’s with just one battle.
It was absolutely insane.
It was also a testament to the fact that the average level of the participants in the Dragon Phoenix Tournament was high.
Kim Minwoo, who had been watching his skeleton, turned around.
If the three of them had continued to attack with one heart and one mind, he might have been the one lying there as a skeleton now.
‘Well, if it was that kind of structure, I wouldn’t have fought in the first place.’
Like the points being distributed equally.
Or maybe even if you just killed the guy with the most points, you’d only get 1 point anyway.
If it was that kind of structure, he would have just farmed some kills and hid.
So, after getting about 8 points, he realized one fun fact.
Kim Minwoo looked at his own body.
The speed at which he grew stronger with each kill was beyond imagination.
If it was additive, his stats should have gone up by about 1.8 times, but it didn’t feel like that at all.
‘It feels like it’s almost 2.1 times?’
Checking the status window, it was the same.
“This is multiplicative?”
This was basically telling him to go on a rampage.