Chapter 48

Seo-jun watched the NPC soldiers fighting on the main road slightly away from the stronghold and said,

“Hmm everyone, this build seems pretty good, doesn’t it?”

He’d already won twice.

Even the second time was against four enemies.

-You haven’t even reached the level to use skills yet

-Pick them starting from level 6 and then talk

-Acting like the build is good when you’re just overpowering them with your own skill LOL

-So shameless

Strictly speaking, though traits had some influence, it was at a minimal level, so the viewers were right.

The moment you could properly verify a build’s performance was from level 6, when you could use martial arts.

In the beginner zone, you had to reach level 18 to use something resembling martial arts—sword energy—but after choosing a faction, it was from level 6.

Starting from level 6, you gained internal energy and could use martial arts, with techniques strengthening at every level that was a multiple of 6.

[Blue: 565] vs [Red: 980]

-Damn

-Barely lost any health from 1,000

-This is strategy!

-Strategy???

Currently, all strongholds were occupied by his team.

The three icons indicating strongholds were glowing red, the symbol of the Demonic Cult.

In other games, allies were blue and enemies were red, but in Battlefield, each side had designated colors.

Blue was the orthodox faction. Green was the unorthodox faction.

A message appeared.

[Heavenly Demon-nim, do you really not need help?]

[That’s right.]

[The Namgung guy who was here also seems to have gone your way, but you want us to keep staying here?]

[Stay put.]

[Yes.]

If you couldn’t capture the center, a comeback would ultimately be wishful thinking.

Though the meaning of the central stronghold was somewhat diminished since Seo-jun wasn’t currently killing soldiers.

‘Should I bring someone along like Swordsman-nim to handle soldiers next time?’

No.

Rather than that, it would be better to fight 2-on-1 for sure and secure one more stronghold.

But things don’t always go as planned.

[Jeon Jae-hoon–> Coconut Lover]

[Jeon Jae-hoon–> Demonic Cult123]

[Stronghold A has been captured.]

“Ah.”

It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered this possibility, but it was annoying.

-Ah lol

-Think waiting will work?

-Rally battle on

“It would be convenient if they just kept challenging me.”

Seo-jun said with a tone of regret.

-Would they do that for you lol

-They keep getting wrecked

-Quick judgment

‘Still, they’ll aim for this place.’

No matter how many side strongholds they captured, they couldn’t win the game without taking down Seo-jun.

So he had to think about when the enemies would target him.

The conclusion was,

‘They’ll probably come after reaching level 6.’

You could gain experience by killing soldiers, killing enemies, and capturing strongholds.

Experience was also automatically given over time, but since it was given to all living users in the game, to widen the gap with this experience alone, you had no choice but to kill enemies.

‘The fastest way to raise experience is killing soldiers.’

That was why the central stronghold was important.

So the enemies would find a point where they could win before the experience gap widened further.

That would be level 6.

In other words, the timing when they could use martial arts.

“They’ll probably target stronghold A next.”

Though it would mean taking a roundabout route to avoid the center where Seo-jun was.

When his ally at stronghold A asked what to do, Seo-jun told them to go back to A and retake the stronghold.

They’d come back anyway.

[Jeon Jae-hoon–> My Dream is Cutlassfish]

[Stronghold C has been captured.]

[Stronghold A has been retaken.]

As expected, the enemies captured the stronghold on the side.

It was about time they’d reached level 6.

“I think they’ll come now.”

-So why exactly did you pick traits like that?

-For real lol

-But did you actually think that build through?

-If he’d thought it through, would he have picked them while reading each one? He obviously just went with whatever looked good.

What. How did they know.

Still, he didn’t lie.

“Hey, I really did think about it, you know?”

Absorption Technique made you restore your own health equivalent to the damage you dealt to opponents.

Also, while fighting, it continuously drained the internal energy and stamina of people within a certain range.

Stamina was consumed not only for lightness skill but also for martial arts, movement techniques, and strong swings, making it an incredibly important resource.

Absorption Technique, which essentially stole most of the important resources in For the Murim from enemies, could sound like an overpowered trait when described like this.

But it had a fatal flaw. Qi deviation would set in when the total amount of internal energy absorbed became too much.

‘You can’t let battles drag on.’

A tank that had to end battles quickly.

There was a structural problem.

So he thought about it in reverse.

If you had to end battles quickly, become a damage dealer and end them quickly yourself.

He just didn’t know there would be so many other sub-traits.

-Yeah, penalty lol

-How are you going to play without picking traits that reduce penalties?

-The streamer will at least not die while fighting, but instead die from qi deviation

-It’s not like other people haven’t thought about this

Is that so?

“I thought it looked perfectly doable.”

There were things you’d only know by trying directly, but Seo-jun trusted his instincts about combat.

Just then, the sound of enemies could be heard from far away, perfect for experimenting.

“He’s still here!”

“Let’s wreck that monster bastard.”

“4-on-1 and now we have martial arts too—we’d be idiots if we lose!”

After losing to Seo-jun consecutively, they had started speaking casually to each other at some point.

-LOL weren’t they formal before?

-I suddenly want to see the streamer get qi deviation

-Similar to getting parried in Assassin’s Dawn LOL

-I’ve experienced qi deviation myself and thought I was having sleep paralysis lol

When battle started, Absorption Technique would automatically activate.

The beggar from Beggar’s Sect approached and swung his staff.

A powerful attack that consumed stamina.

When Seo-jun likewise consumed stamina to parry it, two Mount Hua Sect players appeared from behind the beggar, flanking him on both sides.

Their robe hems fluttered, red sword qi rose from their blade tips, and the sudden wind carried the scent of plum blossoms to his nose.

It was Mount Hua Sect’s skill, Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

“Impressive.”

Indeed.

He’d made a good choice selecting this game.

First Form.

Plum Blossoms by the Roadside. Plum blossoms beside the path.

-Damn, that red effect is so cool

-This is why it’s the most popular

-This is swordsmanship

What was the sword philosophy of Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique?

He thought as the enemy’s blade tips split apart and red light covered his vision.

‘Deceiving the eyes.’

Red sword qi poured down toward Seo-jun as he retreated, simultaneously targeting numerous vital points.

Illusory swords obscured vision and confused the senses.

What was real and what was fake?

In the nostalgic fragrance, Seo-jun circulated his internal energy.

‘A familiar feeling.’

The sensation of truly moving internal energy.

He put strength into his toes.

“But I am the Heavenly Demon.”

-This guy’s really insane LOL

-Did he develop a complex about not being able to become Heavenly Demon? WTF LOL

-Why is it so cool though, seriously why!

Dark red demonic energy covered Seo-jun’s sword as he drew a large crescent from left to right, cutting through the red wave.

‘Strong force with strong force. Sword energy with sword energy.’

The game’s laws weren’t too far removed from reality.

And.

Against illusory swords, use an even bigger sword to overwhelm them.

Seo-jun poured a lot of internal energy into blocking the skill.

Moreover, since the enemy had used a skill, it would have been more internal energy efficient than just drawing sword energy and swinging it.

‘This actually works.’

Anyway, the red illusion shattered.

Though its fragments grazed Seo-jun’s body, they couldn’t deal significant damage.

“You’re pouring internal energy just to break the first form?”

“He used a lot of internal energy! Finish this quickly! That’s disgustingly inefficient!”

From their conversation, it seemed like the usual method.

The Beggar’s Sect user heard that shout and charged at Seo-jun, but.

This time Seo-jun sharpened his sword and thrust at the charging enemy.

The health lost from the fragments was instantly restored.

“Wait, what’s with this attack power?”

“Did he hit your vital point?”

-Uh, no

-It’s because the streamer put all his traits into attack

-Did he hit a vital point too, though?

He did hit a vital point.

And he’d also consumed stamina for a strong attack.

Behind Seo-jun, blue lightning from Namgung Family erupted.

Heavenly Lightning Divine Sword.

One of Namgung Family’s two martial arts, characterized by swift swords and lightning.

However.

-LOL

-Lightning for the streamer lmao

-What is it? Why are you laughing?

-Did you not binge-watch the streamer in his newbie phase videos?

Seo-jun also glanced at the chat and smiled.

Lightning was good.

Blue lightning scattered through space, and like using lightness skill in a rampage state, an accelerated swift strike targeted Seo-jun.

Tracking it with eyes was impossible, but.

‘What did I use to dodge during the Tower Master fight?’

Seo-jun circulated internal energy again and lightly brought his sword down.

Clang!

Where Seo-jun struck was the enemy’s exact sword path with perfect accuracy.

The blocked user’s eyes wavered.

“How?”

“Your sword is fast, but not enough to reach me. That’s all.”

-Unlucky Tower Master lol

-Seems like he’s predicting, so cool

-How did he do that when it was so fast?

-Nothing works in front of the Heavenly Demon!!

“Hmm.”

His hands felt tingly.

The lightning had dealt minor damage to Seo-jun.

Seo-jun used stamina again to attack the enemy in front of him and restore his health.

“This works.”

The enemies looked at Seo-jun with hollow eyes as his health fully recovered again.

“What, does this Heavenly Demon guy have infinite stamina? How is he doing that!”

The Beggar’s Sect beggar swung his staff with all his might, and Seo-jun met it head-on.

“It’s Absorption Technique.”

A Mount Hua Sect user charged from the side, but was cut by the sword in return and retreated.

The amount of health decreasing exceeded imagination.

“Come on, even so, that’s too much! He’s using way too much! And his damage is insane too!”

“Demonic Cult is totally broken.”

They complained and grumbled while clashing swords, but Seo-jun’s health remained unmoved.

Even when they used martial arts to damage his health, he’d recover immediately, and when they tried to leverage their numerical advantage in resources, he neutralized it with infinite stamina.

When there seemed to be no way to deal with it, the Beggar’s Sect beggar said,

“Doesn’t that guy die if we just hold out?”

Absorption Technique’s penalty was famous.

Hold out long enough and he’d die.

To overcome this, people picked,

A trait that broke the technique when distance from opponents increased.

A trait that increased defense and health the more enemies you fought.

Traits that reduced the technique’s power in exchange for stability, extending the duration.

“Seems like he barely picked any penalty mitigation traits? Otherwise this damage and stamina wouldn’t make sense.”

They weren’t beginners at the game either, so they caught on quickly.

“Then let’s hold out!”

“Just hold out a bit and he’ll die on his own!”

“Don’t let the distance break it. Control the distance and stick close!”

-They figured it out

-Murim newbie here, current situation doesn’t make sense, explanation please

-Well, you see, blah blah blah…

-Murim oldtimers are excited lmao

The enemies’ attitude changed.

From attack to defense.

A tactic to drain Absorption Technique without directly cutting health.

If it were a normal Absorption Technique user, they’d be unable to do this or that, but.

“You think that’ll work on me?”

Seo-jun pretended to retreat then dove into the middle of the enemies.

He hadn’t even chosen the trait that broke the technique when distance from opponents increased anyway.

The price of enhanced performance.

Quick death.

And the way to avoid that quick death.

[Jeon Jae-hoon eliminated]

[Enemy fortress health -20]

“That bastard’s going to die soon.”

“Soon is when exactly!”

“Don’t know.”

Slash!

The blackened blade flashed.

[Farewell to Farewell eliminated]

[Enemy fortress health -20]

“Come on. When exactly is he going to die?”

“Doesn’t it feel like a lot of time has passed?”

[Gilbadak eliminated]

[Enemy fortress health -20]

“Beggar… I’m the only one left. Damn it. Huh?”

Suddenly, the enemy who’d been terrifyingly slaughtering them stopped finishing him off and turned around.

And started retreating.

Pretty quickly too.

“He’s finally about to die so he’s trying to create distance!”

Finally!

The Namgung player consumed all his remaining stamina for one final swift sword.

A strike that could both catch up to the enemy and potentially land a hit!

But suddenly, Seo-jun, who’d been moving away, turned around and blocked his sword.

Then Seo-jun’s sword smoothly rotated and cleanly targeted his neck.

[Sky Sword eliminated]

[Enemy fortress health -20]

What.

He reacted to that in the moment he was running away?

Or.

Had he been baiting him from the start?

Instead of actually running away, to finish him off for sure.

As expected, masters were different.

‘Should I not have just charged in?’

Then the enemy started talking to the air.

“Why didn’t you die? It’s because instead of penalty mitigation traits for the technique, I picked traits that enhance the technique’s power and reset the technique when killing enemies.”

Ah.

Having lost his fighting spirit, he looked up at Seo-jun with hollow eyes.

So Absorption Technique had sub-traits like that too.

He’d never dreamed of it since no one used it that way.

“Since killing just one person resets the penalty, well. Don’t you think this build seems pretty good?”

It seemed more than good—totally broken.

But if killing one person reset it, why did he retreat earlier?

There should have been plenty of time.

Could it be.

One word floated in his mind.

Toying with them.

“Sigh, still, orthodox faction martial arts look better and cooler. No wonder people don’t play Demonic Cult.”

That comment also seemed directed at him.

Damn it.

‘I’m switching to Demonic Cult right after this match ends.’

The first day of Battlefield had only just begun.