Chapter 27

He had returned to the tower after killing about 920, but a message saying the quest was complete suddenly popped up.

'What?'

JiHan looked down at the bottom of the tower to where he'd used Lightning Thunder Step.

'Is it because of that?'

Lightning Thunder Step, the ultimate step technique that allowed you to transform into electricity and leap forward a long distance in one go, was a martial arts technique characterized by the sparks that spread in the area before it was used.

However, it seemed like some of the electricity had been left on the ground. 

JiHan frowned. 'It only happened because I still haven't perfected the technique.'

All of the sparks of lightning that had spread were supposed to gather around him when he finished the technique, but since he'd used it through the three elixir fields rather than through a skill, the electricity hadn't gathered properly.

'I need to practice more.'

He'd completed the quest thanks to that, but it was nothing more than unexpected luck from a martial artist's perspective.

JiHan waited for the next chain quest as he felt his own lack of skill.

[You've earned 3,000 achievement points.]

[You've unlocked the chain quest 'Zombies' Source (2)'.]

Rumble-

The earth began shaking, and the zombies suddenly stopped moving.

Uuuu... Uoo...

The zombies' wails echoing through the battlefield were abruptly cut off, and everything went silent.

It wasn't only happening near JiHan's tower. The others were also experiencing the same thing.

The viewers watching the stream were confused.

- What's going on?

- This is the first time I've seen this happen on a zombie map.

- Is it a bug?

- In Battle Net? If that's true, wouldn't this be a historic event?

Then…

WHOOM! 

The earth split, and a huge, black hand made of steel emerged from the crevice.

Each of the hand's fingers was as tall as one of the towers, and soon after, a human mouth formed in the middle of the palm and began to scream.

WHOOOO-!

"Ugh...!"

"What the hell is that...?"

The sound gave even the viewers who were watching through their screens goosebumps.

After that, the giant hand started sucking the horde of zombies into it.

Crack! Crunch!

The hand crushed and kneaded the zombies, and the zombies—whose bones and flesh were separated—made grotesque noises as they fell back to the ground.

The fallen zombie remains gathered back into the black hand and gradually started to form a huge shape as the black hand created something.

"That's..." Golden Light's voice trembled.

It was a monstrous creation formed of a mixture of zombie blood, flesh, and bones.

"A flesh golem?! Why's a monster that appears in Gold here?"

Made of a mixture of zombie remains, its grotesque appearance made the viewers lose their sense of reality.

It didn't stop at just one golem, either.

Crack- Crack-!

The black hand crafted a total of seven flesh golems.

"Kukuku-!" It spat out a chilling laugh before returning to the ground and disappearing.

[You've cleared the defense map '10 Towers'.]

[A bonus quest has been unlocked.]

Although there were still seven towers remaining, all of them received a message saying the map had been cleared.

- A bonus quest?

- Was there such a thing in Bronze maps?

[Stop the flesh golems that were created by the Apostle of Destruction, the 'Black Hand'. You can narrow the gap in strength by using the crystal's blessing!]

[Reward - x3 experience and GP.]

The bonus quest's reward was simple in that it tripled the original rewards.

'The crystal gives a blessing?'

'Then... is it worth trying?'

They had already cleared it anyway, so the bonus quest at least seemed worth trying since it wouldn't place much of a burden on them.

Just as the players were preparing themselves, JiHan received a different quest.

[Chain Quest - Zombies' Source (2)]

- Defeat the flesh golem without the crystal's help.

[Reward: 10,000 achievement points / Crystal's Fragment]

He had to defeat the flesh golem without the crystal's help?

JiHan laughed in disbelief.

Was the quest even meant to be cleared?

'That's why a Crystal's Fragment is offered as a reward.'

The only time an additional reward was added on top of achievement points like that was in epic quests related to survival maps.

JiHan looked at the approaching flesh golem in the distance.

Boom, boom, boom.

The seven flesh golems created by the black hand were quickly walking toward the seven towers.

Seeing bits of flesh fall to the ground every time they took a step was a disgusting sight.

Golden Light approached JiHan. "Ahh... That thing looks hard. Mr. Sung, you should take the buff."

"..."

Despite Golden Light's words, JiHan silently stared at the flesh golem.

Upon seeing his stare, Golden Light's viewers started to speculate.

- I bet JiHan's nervous, lol.

- He said he would reveal his status window if he couldn't get 1st place, right?

- What's he doing?

- Let's be real. There's no way a Bronze could take down a Gold semi-boss. 

The viewers were right. Even with the crystal's buff, subduing that giant monster would be difficult.

'Even if it's Mr. Sung, that might be hard.'

There was a chance JiHan was getting ready to die.

If he had any ambition as a streamer, he might've been thinking of how to die while leaving the best impression possible.

Golden Light was getting ready when JiHan calmly said, "I don't need the buff."

"What...?" At Golden Light's question, JiHan began preparing his energy from the three elixir fields.

A flesh golem was a strong monster that even Gold players struggled against if their level wasn't high enough. 

Moreover, since it was an undead monster, it would keep regenerating unless you destroyed its core, and thanks to how annoying the corpses embedded in its body were, each was considered a semi-boss monster.

Although JiHan was beyond a Bronze's level, it was still a stretch for him to face a flesh golem.

'It would be a stretch if I couldn't use Nameless Divine Arts.'

Although it wasn't perfect, he could still use martial arts techniques.

He could kill it.

BZZT-

A current of electricity spread from JiHan's foot.

Golden Light quickly moved to the side.

"This...?"

"I'll deal with it myself."

Nameless Divine Arts Footwork Technique: Lightning Thunder Step.

As JiHan lifted his foot, deep imprints were left on the tower.

Paf-

His body turned into light and vanished.

"H-huh?!"

Golden Light looked around in confusion, and an astonished look appeared on his face.

JiHan was standing on the head of the flesh golem walking toward the tower.

His movement had been so fast that not even Golden Light, who used to be in Gold, could figure it out.

Standing on the golem's head, JiHan lifted his sword up high.

'I've obtained many things after I got Force and the Mage and Support classes, but….'

It was all just a means for him to become stronger. In the end, JiHan was a Warrior at heart.

He concentrated the energy of the three elixir fields into his sword.

Zing-

He felt pain from the consecutive use of martial arts techniques he hadn't fully mastered.

'This much is nothing.'

Nameless Divine Arts Three Talents Technique: Mount Tai Crush.

Three Talents was a martial arts technique modeled after Heaven, Earth, and Man. Unlike its grandiose name, it was the foundation of Nameless Divine Arts. 

Heaven cuts vertically, the Earth cuts horizontally, and Man stabs.

It was literally the basics of the basics, a third rate among third rates, but it was the base of Nameless Divine Arts.

The Mount Tai Crush followed a similar logic in that it was also simple.

Contrary to the grandiose name of 'Mount Tai Crush', it was merely a vertical cut. 

When those techniques were taken to an extreme, though, the story changed. 

Crack!

As he swung his sword down, the giant marching toward the tower stopped. 

Considering the golem's size, that one swing should've been nothing more than the fluttering of a bug, but the golem was unable to take another step.

Soon after…

Slash-

The flesh golem's body split in half, the core of it and all, and when JiHan landed on the ground…

Rumble-!

The ground itself split as well.

Not only did that one attack cut the golem in half, but it also left a mark on the ground. It was a technique that was the result of taking martial arts to the limit, the Three Talents Mount Tai Crush.

* * *

Even after his performance, JiHan didn't seem satisfied.

'The attack isn't smooth yet.'

He should've cut only the flesh golem, but the aftermath of his attack even reached the ground, meaning his Mount Tai Crush was imperfect.

Others didn't know that, though.

"..."

Everyone behind JiHan was silent.

Tap. Roll-

Massid dropped his ball.

"Huh..." Golden Light was lost for words.

'What... did I just see?'

JiHan's stroke was a simple action. It was just a downward slash.

The secret technique he used that turned his body into lightning and lifted him up into the sky was more impressive, but the effect of his simple stroke was of such a scale that it made him forget even that.

When the light had gathered around JiHan's sword and he struck down at the flesh golem, Golden Light felt as if he were the one being split in half.

Badump. Badump.

His heart was pounding like crazy, to the point that he could even hear it.

He was both thrilled and afraid.

'It… it isn't just me... right?'

He barely managed to turn his head and look at Massid.

Massid, who was wearing bright sports clothes, was completely drenched in sweat.

Golden Light was sure that any 'creature' wouldn't be able to help but feel fear from that stroke, and the reaction of that usually emotionless soccer troll was proof of that. 

"..."

Golden Light looked at the flesh golem falling apart after it had lost its core.

"Ah!" He returned to his senses and quickly turned his gaze to the chat window.

Many people were there to see JiHan's performance. 

As if it were lagging, the chat was completely silent for a moment. It seemed like they were also at a loss for words. 

Then, a few moments later…

- Woah?!

- What did I just see?

- A Bronze? A flesh golem? In one stroke? 

- It's a bug! He's a bug player!!!

The viewers couldn't believe what they'd seen.

Golden Light shook his head.

'You have to see it to realize how impressive it is.'

Seeing JiHan's attack from the screen and in person was a completely different experience.

The attack had made him feel like he was the one being cut, his heart pounded uncontrollably, and his body stood paralyzed.

It was an experience he'd never felt before, not even in Gold League.

'It's the first time... I've felt this.'

A myriad of emotions mixed in his chest. Fear, despair, longing…

As a Warrior, he thought that, no matter how many lives he lived, he wouldn't be able to follow JiHan.

'You're... going to become the strongest.'

The next emotion that struck Golden Light's heart was awe.

'I want to know more about you. I want to capture you on my screen and film you.'

As a broadcaster, he felt the desire to film the one who was going to become the biggest star.

Golden Light looked at JiHan with dazed eyes. 

Whoosh-

Thanks to its massive size, the pieces of flesh that made up the golem's body were still falling, but the place where JiHan stood was completely isolated from such grotesqueness.

It was as if he alone were living in another world. 

Suddenly, a certain thought crossed his mind—the thought that he might be recording a player who would become a legend.

[You've cleared the bonus quest.]

[You'll receive x3 experience and GP.]

[You'll be logged out soon.]

A message saying that the rewards would be tripled appeared before Golden Light, but he felt regretful that he could no longer film JiHan.

'To part like this…'

While Golden Light was looking at JiHan with regretful eyes… 

Flash!

JiHan disappeared and then reappeared again on the tower, to be more precise…

"Hmm..."

He appeared before Massid, who was holding a soccer ball with his feet.