Chapter 65

Chapter 13, Episode 12

<Genius of Battle> Hao.

He is a Chinese player representing hundreds of millions of people.

The Hades Guild, which he personally selected and trained, was extremely strong.

Although it tended to be somewhat undervalued due to its small size, this was merely the assessment of those who did not know the truth.

Within the Seven Great Guilds, the position of Hades Guild is solid.

Average level 253.

Even considering the small number of members, it was an overwhelmingly high level.

Each member had perfect physical attributes.

In addition, the discipline and hierarchy, reminiscent of a military, along with the teamwork and tactical abilities honed through this foundation...

All of these combined made the combat power of Hades Guild among the top in the Seven Great Guilds.

Keeek!

Kyaah!

Under the moonlit night in the desert.

Under Hao's command, the Hades Guild marched without hesitation.

Neither the cold temperature, the sinking sand, nor the powerful desert monsters could slow their march.

[Level up.]

"Isn't this really the best hunting ground?"

"The reason for the rapid level-up of the Temppal members is clear now."

The desert monsters, being in the 300s level, gave a lot of experience.

It was beyond imagination. Thanks to this, the levels of the Hades Guild members rose quickly.

The Hades Guild members were so enthusiastic that they wanted to stay and level up here.

Hao urged them on.

"Don't get too absorbed in the battle; increase your marching speed."

Hao was still tense. He kept looking back, worried that a pursuer might catch up. His anxiety was evident.

The master, who had not lost his composure even when he saw the farmer Piaro kill Zifal in one hit, was now trembling with fear after Suelon's death, which the Hades Guild members could not understand.

"Suelon's downfall was due to a strong farmer, but wasn't the farmer Piaro stronger? I don't understand why you are so afraid of him."

Hao revealed the truth.

"The farmer who defeated Suelon is Tianwai Tian."

"Tianwai Tian...?"

A figure suddenly came to mind.

"Could you be talking about Crowzel?"

"Yes. Even though he was hiding his identity under a straw hat, I could recognize him."

Crowzel.

He is the only person Hao admires and fears.

Knowing this, the Hades Guild members understood why their master was so anxious.

The Hades Guild members were in an uproar.

"This is a serious problem. If Crowzel has become Grid's subordinate...

Grid's current power is already on the verge of becoming the greatest. With Crowzel joining, the growth rate will be uncontrollable.

Hao calmed the worried guild members.

"Crowzel won't become Grid's subordinate. He's just cooperating for some reason."

Crowzel is like the sky.

"He is not someone an individual can possess."

"..."

Hao was confident, but the Hades Guild members were worried.

Given that Grid, the demonic man, had already absorbed the Chedaka Guild, perhaps he could persuade Crowzel to become his subordinate.

However, they did not voice this thought. It was just a speculation, and they did not want to worry Hao unnecessarily.

"Hurry up."

"Yes."

Raidan is getting farther away.

The end of the desert will soon be in sight, and they will soon enter the empire's territory. Then they will be safe.

Under Hao's lead, the marching speed of the Hades Guild increased. It seemed that no one could stand in their way as they advanced, cutting down the desert monsters.

But life is a series of walls.

When you overcome one wall, another new wall awaits.

This is a story that applies to everyone.

"Stop."

As if saying, 'I knew you would come here,' the beings waiting there blocked the Hades Guild.

"You can go, but you must pay the price for your sins."

A silver-haired boy.

Rauel.

The strongest of the Ten Rookies.

No, it's now ridiculous to call him a rookie.

After joining Temppal, he grew at a terrifying speed and is now one of the strongest existing players.

"Pay with your life for stepping into Duke Grid's territory with your dirty feet."

Behind Rauel, the Temppal members glared menacingly.

Hao's expression hardened as he surveyed their ranks.

'Few in number, but...'

Temppal has a total of 28 members.

However, among them, Grid is in the empire, Ruby and Sexy High School Girl are in the beginner zone, and the four members of the Jishuka team are in Vairan.

Additionally, Fon, Regas, and Yufemina are on separate missions, and the Bantner group is in combat with the Golden Guild.

Excluding them, Rauel's group currently consists of only 15 members.

In contrast, the Hades Guild has 80 members.

It was clear that the Hades Guild had the advantage. The numerical difference was too great.

However, in Satisfy, the war is about quality, not quantity. Hao was realizing this truth.

A battle between 15 Temppal members, all at the third job class, and 80 Hades Guild members, all at the second job class?

The victory of Temppal is obvious.

Hao quickly made a decision and ordered his guild members.

{Run away.}

The unexpected order confused the Hades Guild members.

{Run away?}

{What do you mean?}

{I will hold them off. Run while I do.}

The repeated orders were not welcome to the Hades Guild members.

Sacrifice the master so that we can survive?

Their loyalty did not allow it.

{Rather, let the master run while we buy time.}

{We cannot hand the master over to the enemies.}

Hao shouted at the rebelling Hades Guild members.

{If you all perish here, the guild's strength will drastically decrease. Retreat.}

79 sacrifices versus 1 sacrifice.

It was clear that the latter was the wiser choice.

The Hades Guild members knew this well. However, Hao is ranked 16th in the overall rankings.

At this point, where the level difference between the 11th and 50th in the overall rankings is only 4, if Hao dies and loses experience, his ranking could plummet exponentially.

{The ranking is just a symbol; there's no need to be bound by it. Run away. We can seek revenge later.}

When the Hades Guild members reach the third job class, the gap in power will narrow. That is when they can crush Temppal with force. The humiliation of today can be avenged then.

{...Understood.}

Understanding their master's intention, the Hades Guild members began to retreat quietly.

"Where are you going!"

Temppal would not let them go so easily. They were not so lenient as to show mercy to invaders.

Hao blocked their path as the Hades Guild members, showing their backs, tried to flee. He took out a steel bar and drew a line on the ground.

"...?"

What did the line deeply etched in the sand mean? Temppal could not understand it immediately.

Hao explained the meaning of the line to them.

"For the next 5 minutes, you will not be able to cross this line."

In Satisfy, there is no <Race Selection> function. When creating a character, users must start the game as <Human>.

Does this mean that all 2 billion users play the game with the common race of human?

Not necessarily.

There are a few users of other races.

Users who changed their race by completing specific quests.

One of them is Hao.

Crack! Crack!

The skin on Hao's shoulders, back, chest, and abdomen split open, revealing red scales hidden beneath.

Flap!

A pair of wings sprouted from his back, spreading out to display an overwhelming presence. His pupils and whites of his eyes turned entirely golden, freezing the hearts of those who saw him.

Half-dragon.

That is Hao's true form.

When he activates the power of the dragon, his strength, agility, health, and resistance increase by 10% each, and he gains the ability to use fire and incomplete flight.

Although the fatal drawback is that most of the skills he could use as a human are sealed, Hao did not rely heavily on skills in the first place.

He is skilled in combo attacks based on ultimate physical attributes and suppression techniques using auxiliary weapons.

The enhanced stats from his transformation into a dragon maximized his combat power.

{Lord Toban, Lady Laela, Lord Jednos. Please deal with Hao. The rest of you, pursue and annihilate the enemies.}

This was Rauel's order.

It was a cheap deal to face Hao, one of the strongest PKers, with just three people. This was his judgment.

"Only three? Do I look like a joke?"

Hao snorted at the three-person triangle formation.

Swish!

Hao, who had suddenly taken out a chain, wrapped it around Toban's shield and pulled it towards him.

It was a very fast and precise control. Toban's body, unprepared, leaned forward significantly.

Hao leaped and struck the back of his head with the steel bar, then stabbed Laela with it.

Laela, startled, deployed a magic spell stored in her orb to counter, but using a non-target spell was a mistake.

It was practically impossible to hit Hao with a non-target spell.

This was the reason why Yura, ranked 5th in the overall rankings, had said she could not defeat Hao.

Smack!

"Kyaa!"

The point of the stab hit Laela's heart precisely.

She collapsed helplessly, taking a significant hit, and Hao relentlessly followed up with a combo to finish her off.

"Damn! Can't you stop?!"

Ivelin, enraged at seeing Laela being beaten senseless, stepped forward.

The blue Framberg, made by Grid to celebrate her third job class, flew towards Hao, ready to tear him apart.

"Brat."

Hao laughed. Ivelin, who dared to challenge him head-on with just that level of skill, was laughable.

Swish!

Auxiliary weapon.

An item that most users ignore because it is difficult to use.

Hao, the master of auxiliary weapons, threw the chain to bind Ivelin's wrist. Using the increased strength from his dragon transformation, he threw her far away and stabbed Laela's stomach again. The recoil sent Laela's body flying, and the steel bar, using the rebound, struck her delicate neck.

"Ugh...!"

Blood gushed from Laela's mouth as she was slammed into the sand. As a mage, she could not withstand Hao's powerful attacks.

If not for Toban's defensive buffs and Jednos' shield, she would have died long ago.

Hao, leaving the stunned Laela behind, stabbed Jednos with the steel bar. The quick attack did not give Jednos time to cast spells, forcing him to focus on defense. He tried to hold out with his shield.

Toban, who had shaken off the shock, protected Jednos.

Clang!

When the steel bar and the large shield collided, an unbelievable event occurred.

Toban, the strongest tank in Temppal, if not the strongest in Satisfy, was pushed back two steps with his shield.

Toban showed a difficult expression.

'What a devil!'

Hao had accurately gauged which point on the shield would put the most pressure on Toban.

Toban felt as if he were facing Piaro. Hao's skills were that impressive. At the very least, he was on par with Fon or Regas. The title of "Miracle of the Continent" was not a hollow one.

Hao, who had scanned the anxious Temppal members, spoke.

"4 minutes. I will hold out for 4 more minutes."

One minute had already passed since his 5-minute declaration.

The Hades Guild members were gradually getting farther away.

In 4 minutes, the distance would be too great to pursue.

Feeling anxious, Rauel changed his order.

"Take him down first!"

The entire Temppal group lunged at Hao.