Chapter 66

[You have been summoned to the Valley of the End.]

[You are in the Demon faction.]

[Assist the demons and conquer the Angel faction.]

The Valley of the End was the basic map for the Invade mission. The game was straightforward. Angels and demons, two factions separated by a river, would use three attack lanes—top, mid, and bottom—to launch invasions with five players from each side. Although there were various strategies to employ on this map, the standard in the Silver League was to deploy two players on the top line, one in the middle, and two on the bottom.

Flash! Flash!

As Seong Jihan was the first to appear in the demon base (next to a lava-spewing well), the next four summoned players stared at him in surprise.

"Wait, we're one player short… huh?"

"Wait… is that Seong Jihan?"

"Didn't he just ascend to Silver this month?"

The viewers' reactions weren't much different from the team's.

– ?????? Wasn't this Seong Jihan's first Silver League game?

– Yes, what's wrong with that?

– Check out the team's composition! It's the Rising Team from Iseong Guild!!!

– 47, 48, 49, 48…The average level is 48. lol!!

– How's a level 25 getting matched with Gold-level players? lol

The Rising Team from Iseong Guild, gathered to hit level 50 and ascend to Gold, was a team made up of the guild's elites. How could a player who had just entered Silver get matched with them?

Seong Jihan, while quietly watching the chat, clarified, "I'm level 30. I won and gained 5 levels."

– Wow, so Top 100 winners start at level 30?

– lol, how were we supposed to know?

– True, but a level 30 getting matched with 48 is crazy.

As Seong Jihan chatted with the viewers, the leader of the Iseong Guild team approached, "Um… Hello. Where would you like to play?"

Despite the considerable level difference, the player approached with caution. Seong Jihan's reputation preceded him.

"Which lane is available?"

"Well, we have a mage slot open in the top lane."

"Top duo? Wait, no jungler?"

Jungler: A position where a player operates in the neutral area known as the jungle, outside of the three main attack lanes.

The Iseong Guild team exchanged glances and chuckled.

"Well, this is Silver League…"

"Monsters in the jungle are quite challenging at the Silver level."

"…Oh, is that so?"

"Yes. You need to be at least level 70 Gold to jungle."

– It's clear Seong Jihan is a newbie at this map lol

– So, Silver players can't jungle?

– lol, Silver jungling? Jungle monsters are at least level 65.

-Yeah, in Silver you just follow the minions lol

Seong Jihan's eyes sparkled as he read the chat. The jungle was challenging in Silver League?

'I smell achievements in the jungle.'

Having spent almost all his achievement points, he now only had 1,200 left. It was time to earn more. While the thought of diving into the jungle for achievement points was tempting, he decided to first synchronize with his team and get acclimated.

"It's settled then. I'll head to the top."

"Thank you."

Thankfully, when Seong Jihan agreed to take the open position, a look of relief washed over the team leader's face.

"Jihan! I watched the Top 100 match and was so moved by it~." The female warrior assigned to the top lane with Seong Jihan was quite spirited. "I never dreamed that someone from Korea would rank first! I watched the video multiple times. I subscribed and even wanted to donate, but the minimum amount was too high… hehe."

"Your kind thoughts are enough," Seong Jihan replied.

"So, let me give you a tip for the Valley… First!" She pointed to a group of small demons marching up the top lane. These imps, carrying tridents or staff and with their gaunt skin, were the lowest ranked in the demon hierarchy.

"See those small demons? They're called minions, be it in the angel or demon faction."

"I'm aware."

"In higher leagues, players might easily slaughter these minions, but here in Silver league, they're as strong as level 50. You must always work with allied minions to overpower them."

She continued, almost as if she were explaining the game to a beginner. Seong Jihan's initial question about the jungler must have been that shocking to her.

"…even though we respawn a minute after dying, if we're not present in the lane, our lane gets pushed. So, it's crucial to avoid death."

– Why is she over-explaining? Lol

– Probably because he asked about the jungler. She's trying to instill the mindset of a Silver player in him. Haha!

– lol true. Think of Silver as slightly powerful minions.

Although it took only 5 minutes to reach the frontline of the top lane, in that short time, the female warrior tirelessly schooled Seong Jihan on the mindset of a Silver player. The gist of her lessons was to stay back and hold the line with the minion wave.

Seong Jihan responded simply, "Got it. So, I just shouldn't die?"

"Ye-yes."

"That's easy."

Seong Jihan gazed at the front lane. The demon's imp army and the small angels of the angel faction were locked in combat. The angels, their faces obscured by darkness and donned in pristine white robes, were just as small as the imps, but their battle was fierce.

Suddenly, explosive sounds rang out as the mage minions from both sides attacked each other, causing powerful blasts. As the female warrior shielded herself with her armor, she turned to Seong Jihan once the explosions subsided, "Alright, now that the explosion is over, let's carefully move forwa— huh?"

In a flash, Seong Jihan rushed forward.

"You have to be cautious!" she called out, trying to follow him. But to her astonishment, Seong Jihan had already reached the heat of the battle.

"Ariel."

A shadow enveloped Seong Jihan's left arm, and a voice from the shadow said, "Sword."

The shadow then morphed into a dark, ominous sword in Seong Jihan's hand.

"Hmm."

The Shadow Sword Eclipse. Although it appeared lightweight, it felt immensely heavy. Its form was like a true sword, yet it seemed like it could melt away at any moment. In all his experience with various weapons, he had never encountered a weapon so difficult to control.

[This is why you were told to invest in the sword shadow skill.]

Ariel's reprimand echoed from the Eclipse. How dare such an inferior being, without even investing in sword shadow stats, dare to wield the Eclipse? He wouldn't even be able to swing it properly. But perhaps, one must experience it to understand.

Ariel thought so, but…

"It's quite usable." Seong Jihan murmured as he inspected the sword.

Suddenly, the shadowy weapon solidified into a definitive sword form.

[What…?!] Ariel was taken aback.

[How can such a low-tier creature…]

'Could he really be controlling the Shadow Sword already? No, he must be forcing the sword to maintain its form against its will. Proper control shouldn't be possible.'

But once again, her assumptions were proven wrong. With a swift motion, Seong Jihan's sword sliced through the air, leaving a trail of sword energy that skimmed past the enemy minions. And then, the angels that were fiercely fighting against the demons suddenly froze in their tracks before their bodies disintegrated into smoke.

[…]

It was a perfect display of swordsmanship. Seong Jihan had obliterated the angel minions with prowess that left Ariel speechless.

'One must have at least 40 points in Sword Shadow stats to wield Eclipse…' Seong Jihan was compensating for his lack of stats with an exceptional manipulation of magical power.

'Is this why the main body invested so much in him?' Ariel had been skeptical of the heavy investment in Seong Jihan, not understanding why his title of 'Deity' was so important. But at this moment, her decision seemed justified.

[…He's quite skilled, for a lower-tier creature.] Ariel adjusted her evaluation of Seong Jihan from the lowest-tier to just a low-tier.

The female warrior stared, clearly in disbelief at the spectacle unfolding before her. Every swing of Seong Jihan's sword resulted in angels being cleanly bisected, with none able to parry his strikes.

'I shouldn't have given that advice…' she thought, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. Advising such a powerful player to be cautious made her feel out of place, especially knowing that the audience from Seong Jihan's channel might be watching.

However, the audience's reactions were far from her concerns.

– lol He's just dominating alone.

– The opposing players can't even come out from their tower. Haha!

– The tower's health is already halved?

– They must be crying. So intense.

The game on the top lane was progressing in a one-sided manner. Minions from the angel faction were instantly annihilated upon reaching the frontline. The demon faction's minions remained unscathed, allowing them to charge at the enemy's first line of defense, the turret.

The white beam from the angel faction's turret was potent enough to kill instantly, but with a firing delay of three seconds, the more allies that survived, the more damage they could deal to the turret.

"Stop them!"

"We can't be pushed back already!"

The two opposing players focused solely on fending off the minions near their turret, but they struggled to clear the minions quickly, resulting in their turret being almost half destroyed.

-Why isn't Seong Jihan attacking the tower? – In Silver, melee characters don't usually attack towers. If you're unlucky and get hit by the tower's beam, it's instant death.

– But he's beyond Silver level. Shouldn't he attack it?

– lol!! Where have you seen a Silver-level player annihilate minions with a single blow?

– So why isn't he attacking?!

The audience expressed their confusion over Seong Jihan's decision not to directly attack the tower. Given his skills that surpassed Silver level, he could easily deal significant damage to the tower. But of course, Seong Jihan had a plan.

[You have subdued 50 minions. The Deity acknowledges your prowess and bestows a blessing upon you.] [All your stats are enhanced by 20%.]

'Perfect.'

In the Valley map, every time a player defeats 50 minions, they receive a divine blessing. The blessing was an immense buff that enhanced one's stats by 20% all at once. Seong Jihan felt his body becoming lighter and planted Eclipse into the ground.

With this power-up, he should be able to summon her.

"Ariel, manifest."

With a soft sound, the shadow sword Eclipse transformed into a dark aura, which soon took the form of a small dark elf, only reaching up to Seong Jihan's knees.

"Why did you call me?"

"How long can you stay manifested? Assuming I'm too far away and can't supply mana."

"3 minutes. However, thanks to the gift, up to 7 minutes is possible."

The Moon's Shadow effect was quite useful. Seong Jihan nodded and continued his questioning.

"Can you participate in battles?"

"Of course."

"Good. Then try to engage in some fights here."

"… And you?"

In response to Ariel's question, Seong Jihan grinned and pointed to the forest.

"I'm going to the jungle."