Chapter 54

Chapter 4. Conclusion (4)

While teaching Kan and Doyle the location and strategy for defeating Vigrid, they remained tight-lipped about the source of their information.

But to Yeonwoo, such things didn't matter.

Unlike Kan, even if he was considered an outsider, he would never refuse any method that could make him stronger.

And then.

"That thing?"

"If we can just catch that one."

"First place! We can take first place! No, I don't even hope for first place. Look at those points. If we can just share them...!"

"The weapons are tempting too. Where did he get such things?"

The eyes of all the players who saw Yeonwoo were filled with greed.

Overwhelming points and a high-level artifact whose origin was hard to discern.

Even just these two things were enough to make one greedy.

Moreover, Yeonwoo was a solo player with no team or backing.

This meant that even if they devoured him, there would be no repercussions.

Even if he had hidden skills to gather so many points, it wasn't a major concern.

Unless he was an exceptional player like Pant, who was in a different league.

No matter how strong a player, they couldn't face so many people at once.

Moreover, if he were such a strong player, his name would already be known.

But none of them knew of Yeonwoo's existence. He was unknown.

Thus, one by one.

More and more players began to show hostility towards Yeonwoo.

Even players who were in the safe zone came out and surrounded Yeonwoo.

They were ready to capture Yeonwoo at any moment.

The moment he took a step outside the safe zone, they planned to charge at him like a whirlwind.

And then.

The hostility they emitted accumulated and flowed into Yeonwoo.

[Blade's Blessing]

The first option inherent in Vigrid reacted.

The whirlwind surrounding Yeonwoo intensified, and a hint of evil energy began to mix in.

Kaaah-

A bone-chilling evil sound echoed everywhere.

The players who were about to surround Yeonwoo flinched.

A chill ran down their spines, and a sense of foreboding crept up.

Meanwhile, the evil energy gradually intensified, breaking free from the blade and settling on Yeonwoo.

The more numerous and intense the hostility, the stronger the evil energy became.

Naturally, the evil energy continued to strengthen endlessly.

And this was exactly what Yeonwoo had planned.

He deliberately showed the emblems and revealed Vigrid to draw out the players' hostility.

To use their greed to amplify the evil energy to its maximum!

‘You never thought that your arrogance would hurt you, did you?’

Finally, when the power of the evil energy reached its peak.

Yeonwoo consumed the spirits he had previously attributed before coming to the G sector, amplifying the evil energy.

Whaaah!

“Suck!”

“What the...!”

The whirlwind turned into a typhoon, instantly covering the entire stage. The evil energy spread like a cold wind among the players.

Some turned pale and staggered, while others lost their balance and fell, spitting blood.

Only then did they realize something was wrong.

Kwaang!

Before they could react, Yeonwoo stomped the ground with such force that most of the safe zone collapsed, and he lunged forward.

He broke out of the safe zone and aimed for the center of the stage.

Squeeeak-

The typhoon followed Yeonwoo, sweeping across the stage like a tidal wave.

Kwa-kwa-kwa!

“Danger!”

“S-stop it!”

The players, trembling from the evil energy, barely managed to support their shaky legs and charge forward.

No matter how much they feared Yeonwoo's power, their greed was not enough to hold them back.

In fact, it only fueled their greed even more.

If they could get their hands on that weapon, they could wield such power too!

“Die!”

A player blocked Yeonwoo's path and swung his sword with a voice full of malice.

Yeonwoo swung Vigrid with a cold, indifferent gaze.

Kwaang!

“Gah!”

The player was sent flying with a broken sword and a severely damaged upper body. Only rough marks were left where Vigrid had passed.

His eyes, which had been drooping, showed no more signs of life.

He was dead.

But the effects of the attack didn't end there.

Kwa-kwa-kwa!

This time, a green aura spread in a concentric circle about 15 meters in all directions, following the sudden death of the player.

The players exposed to the concentric circle suddenly stopped in their tracks, grabbing their necks and collapsing.

“What the...!”

“What is... this...! Curse! Gah!”

Their faces were all pale.

Their breathing was rough, and they were on the verge of suffocation.

[Blessing Infection]

The second option of Vigrid had activated.

In fact, while Kan and Doyle focused on the effects of the Blade's Blessing, it was this option that had caught Yeonwoo's eye. The ability to spread the curse inherent in Vigrid.

Given the intense hatred, the power was undoubtedly immense.

If mixed with the highly amplified evil energy?

A terrifying result was inevitable.

Although it was conditional on delivering the final blow, almost none of the players weakened by the curse could properly block Yeonwoo's attack.

Kwaang! Kwaang!

Kwa-kwa-kwa-

Every time Yeonwoo swung Vigrid, the players were sent flying like autumn leaves.

And the Blessing Infection also spread, causing chaos.

“Gah!”

“Gah! Gah!”

The stage instantly turned into a scene of chaos.

A place filled with screams and cries.

There was hardly a player who hadn't fallen or fainted.

Yeonwoo, like a wild beast, rampaged through the chaos, heading towards his goal.

His goal was Edora.

To definitively secure the top position.

* * *

In the midst of the massive typhoon sweeping the stage like a tidal wave.

Biram's expression twisted.

‘What the hell is happening here!’

Rank 5 in the tutorial.

When Biram first entered the G sector and received this result, he was filled with frustration.

Rank 5?

Him?

He was always a person who walked the path of the victor.

Whenever there was an enemy, he defeated them; whenever there was an obstacle, he removed it. He always monopolized the role of the victor.

A swordsman of the Marcus realm.

He was also one of the focuses from the start of the tutorial, along with the Pant siblings and the Blood Sword's Kan, for these very reasons.

For him, a rank of 5 was like a mark of defeat.

It was absolutely unacceptable.

‘Somehow. Somehow, I have to turn this around. If not...!’

The Marcus realm, where Biram was born, was originally an inhospitable environment where humans could not survive.

The entire planet was covered in a barren desert, and magma flowed along the surface instead of rivers.

The planet was always consumed by intense heat.

Therefore, to survive in the Marcus realm, one had to become strong.

Strength was the means of survival.

Perhaps because of this?

Ironically, the warriors of the Marcus realm, who became strong due to the harsh environment, eventually became the top mercenaries in various worlds and dimensions.

They were known for their strength and tenacity, always completing their missions flawlessly.

Naturally, they earned deep trust from various clients.

The warriors of the Marcus realm used the money they earned to buy food and water, sending it to their families back home.

Biram was one of these people.

He wielded his sword for survival and lived as a mercenary for his family. Over time, he became one of the top mercenaries symbolizing the Marcus realm.

So when he received the tower's invitation for the first time.

Biram finally had a chance to reflect on how strong he truly was.

And he realized this was an opportunity.

The tower was a place that any practitioner aspired to.

If he could become a king there.

If he could stand at the top by displaying unparalleled valor.

Or if he could ascend to the top of the tower and become the god he so desired!

Not only could he provide comfort to his family and friends, but he might even be able to restore the Marcus realm to its original state.

A time of abundance and comfort.

Before everything was destroyed by a corrupt king.

Fortunately, Biram had another talent besides his skills as a swordsman.

A candidate for the ruler.

He had the authority to command and form alliances with other players.

It meant he had the qualities to become a king.

So he confidently joined the tutorial.

But he had to face his first obstacle.

The Pant siblings.

They were the first obstacle he encountered since his birth.

Although he had overcome countless challenges as a mercenary, these two were in a different league.

He couldn't even approach them.

He had heard of the Blood Sword's Kan and the Pant siblings as rising stars, but he had dismissed them as nothing. That was a mistake.

Was this the power of the tower?

Or were the Pant siblings in a different league?

Regardless of the answer, Biram had to face his first defeat due to the overwhelming skill gap.

Still, he didn't give up.

If he couldn't win by skill, he would win by other means.

So Biram, using his abilities as a ruler candidate, convinced the players who entered the G sector to form a temporary team.

He proposed a temporary alliance to take down the Pant siblings first and then compete.

If quality didn't work, quantity would.

And after taking down the Pant siblings, he planned to enhance the skills he had placed on the players to form a grand army.

[Subjugation].

An absolute constraint that a ruler places on their subordinates.

Biram had already placed the Subjugation skill on the players.

After taking down the Pant siblings, the skill's constraint would be strengthened, allowing him to forcibly extract loyalty.

A ruler leading over 50 top players up the tower!

He thought there could be no more glorious title.

But...

‘What the hell is this!’

Pant was much stronger than he had anticipated.

Over 50 players?

They were just a hindrance in the face of overwhelming power.

No matter how much Biram tried to control the crowd with his buff skills, he couldn't overcome Pant.

And then.

One more person was added.

A mysterious man with a bizarre white mask.

He quickly rose to first place and then used an extraordinary artifact to bewitch the players.

The 50 links connecting the players and Biram weakened.

They abandoned the seemingly invincible Pant and turned their attention to the white-masked man.

But.

It turned into a new disaster.

Kwa-kwa-kwa!

“Gah!”

“What is... this...! Gah!”

The typhoon sweeping the stage like a tidal wave.

The eerie green evil energy spreading.

The intense strikes.

None of the players could properly block them.

They were all torn apart by the whirlwind, leaving only flesh and blood on the stage.

“Get out of the way, you idiots!”

By the time Biram tried to stop the players, it was already too late.

He had to make a decision.

Now, he had only one weapon left: three swords.

Where would he turn the blade?

And the answer was already decided.

‘These are the precious materials for my future army! I have to save as many as possible!’

First place was already lost. To maintain the army, he had to save as many players as possible.

If he didn't, all the links would be severed.

Just as he was about to reach for his swords.

“Hahaha!”

Suddenly, Pant burst into laughter, the echo resounding.

He turned his head sharply.

Pant's eyes were burning more fiercely than ever.

Kwa! Kwa!

Pant slammed his fists together and laughed savagely.

“Yeah, this is it! I've been waiting for this! Not some weaklings, but a real fight like this!”

Joy radiated from Pant's eyes.

The joy was so intense it felt like madness.

He watched Yeonwoo, who was running towards him at high speed, and then turned his head to the back.

Edora was smiling calmly.

“Can I go now?”

“Have I ever needed your permission for that?”

“Well, yeah, but...!”

He seemed to have a lot to say.

Edora smiled.

“Alright. I won't tell Dad.”

Only then could Pant laugh with ease.

“Haha, then.”

“In return, leave that behind.”

“Oh, right. I almost forgot.”

Pant, who was about to step forward, stopped, scratched the back of his head, and handed all the golden crystals hanging from his waist to Edora.

At that moment.

The message window floating in the air changed rapidly.

[The tutorial ranking has been updated.]

[Tutorial Ranking]

1st. Edora (120,230 Points)

2nd. Anonymous (109,984 Points)

...

“Damn!”

Biram, who had been watching the situation, cursed. The other players were also shocked.

Transferring nearly 60,000 points to his sister without hesitation?

And reclaiming first place?

It seemed reckless but was a clear strategy.

Something they couldn't even imagine.

The points were accumulated through numerous life-threatening situations in the tutorial.

Naturally, even if they were siblings, they couldn't easily transfer them. It was an impossible act.

But Pant, as if it were nothing, blew a light raspberry at the players staring at him.

“Don’t treat us the same as you. We are different from you, who are no better than beasts.”

“...!”

“...!”