Chapter 105

Thud! Thud!

The advancing of the otherworldly Undead Legion was different in color from the typical undead.

The entire legion was tinted in dark blue, known as the Kill the King.

Moreover, in place of the absent eyeballs in the skull sockets, a blood-red light took their place.

In many ways, an enemy that differed from the typical undead troops.

[Die and come under our flag.]

[Become equal!]

They all opened their mouths at the same time.

Be it skeleton or zombie.

Everyone spoke in unison, talking about equality.

'That voice… it's so tiresome.'

All beings are equal in front of death, so die and become one, said Kill the King.

Seong Jihan constantly heard that voice in his past life when Korea was on the brink of destruction.

'But, probably because it's the Silver promotion match, there are no ghost troops yet.'

Seong Jihan looked at the advancing Kill the King troops.

The basic composition of the enemy legion consisted of skeletons and zombies, the weakest among the undead.

Of course, these dark blue-tinted undead were much stronger than the usual ones.

But compared to the ghosts, they were much easier to deal with.

"Sophia. Buff me."

"Yes!"

Seong Jihan received all sorts of buffs from Sophia, who possessed the Trinity, and took out the Phoenix's Arrow.

Although the Phoenix's Arrow was inferior to the Shadow Sword Eclipse, there was nothing better for containing the extremely effective Thunder power against undead.

"Ariel. Block the enemy from the ramparts."

And instead of the Eclipse, which couldn't contain the thunder, he summoned Ariel.

"So, they are the Kill the King? I've only heard the name, but it's my first time seeing them."

The summoned Ariel looked down at the wall with her arms crossed.

A subtle discomfort appeared on her face as she watched the undead.

"It's a chillingly chaotic dark magic… yet there's a strange unity hidden within it."

"Really?"

"Master. I can't absorb that dark magic. If I did, the Shadow Sword's power would get tangled."

"Just deal with them then."

"Understood."

Leaving Ariel on the ramparts, Seong Jihan jumped down with the Phoenix's Arrow in hand.

Thump!

As he landed lightly on the ground,

[Become equal!]

A part of the Undead Legion advanced towards him.

Unlike the zombie horde that only charged instinctively like during the 10 Tower battles, these enemies pressed in systematically, perfectly coordinated.

They moved as one, their formations were quite disciplined, but.

'After all, they're just undead.'

Harnessing the energy of the thunder, Seong Jihan casually swung the Phoenix's Arrow.

Nameless Divine Art, Triad of Martial Mastery – Total Annihilation.

Screeech!

In one strike.

The approaching undead were all split in half in an instant.

From the gaps, white flames arose.

[Aaah…!]

In a short time, hundreds of undead turned to dust and vanished.

Then.

Pause~

The entire undead legion suddenly stopped moving.

From the skeletons that had separated to face Seong Jihan,

To the main force trying to cross the ramparts while ignoring him.

All of them froze, their red eyes flashing as they stared only at Seong Jihan.

[King!]

All at once, they uttered a single word.

King.

Upon witnessing Seong Jihan's strike,

They called him the King.

[The one who will be King!]

With that, the movement of the Undead Legion changed.

The disciplined manner resembling elite soldiers disappeared.

[Kill the King!]

Everyone started to charge, shouting to kill the king, rushing madly towards Seong Jihan.

Undead swarming in like a tidal wave.

They seemed to run haphazardly, but there was no gap in their formation.

When zombies from ten towers swarmed, they often tangled and trampled over each other.

Such a thing was not seen amongst them.

However.

'They're not my match.'

Whoosh!

When Seong Jihan cast his skill once again, hundreds of undead were set aflame at once.

The attack displayed by Seong Jihan seemed too easy.

From the viewpoint of the relay stone, it was just a horizontal slash, a very simple attack.

As the arrow lightly traced a few arcs,

[Kill the King!]

The cries to kill the king began to diminish.

Whoooosh!

The battlefield began to blaze with white flames.

It was a dominating sight, especially considering he was ranked third in odds.

And his one-man show was being broadcasted live around the world through Channel 0.

– Christopher… what exactly is that attack? It seemed like a simple swing of the spear, but it's decimating the Undead Legion?

– Hahaha! It's a common move by Seong. It's a horizontal slash, just wiping out the likes of those undead with ease!

If Christopher was merely a fan a month ago,

Now he was an avid fan of Seong Jihan's broadcasts, providing a nonchalant commentary amidst the caster's excitement.

– But that Undead Legion is genuinely strong. Players on the southern side seem to have a hard time against the undead…

As if on cue, the relay screen showed the southern walls.

On the south side, where 90 players were positioned, the atmosphere was much different from the peaceful north, with fierce battles unfolding.

"Lightning Storm!"

Rumble…!

As Barren raised his hand to the sky, dark clouds rapidly filled the atmosphere.

This was 'Lightning Storm,' a wide-area magic Barren recently mastered for this promotion battle.

As he pointed downwards, intense lightning continuously poured down.

Its power was too great to just be considered a Silver Rank spell.

However,

Thud! Thud!

Unlike when Seong Jihan attacked,

These beings weren't felled by lightning.

Only the dark blue undead's bones and skin were charred.

[Become equal!]

The horde cried out in unison, advancing.

"Why won't they die?"

Barren complained.

Low-level undead monsters, skeletons, and zombies.

Apart from their color, they looked the same. Barren was perplexed at their resilience.

"Fire Wave!"

Using his powerful mana to cast multiple spells in succession, a few enemies were obliterated.

But suppressing the Undead Legion charging towards the wall all at once was too much.

– …The situation is quite different in the north. The Undead Legion overcame the magic bombardment and is now approaching the walls!

– This is normal. Watching Seong's game can be misleading, but defense maps are team games! You can't defeat an army alone!

– Now I see why Seong received a balance patch.

– Yes, but it seems the patch still lacks a lot! We need more balance adjustments!

As the Undead Legion climbed the walls despite the magic bombardment, a fierce battle ensued.

Among them, the most noticeable was Wang Lin from China.

"Heavenly Demon God Fist!"

Red energy burst from his hand, smashing the sturdy skull of a skeleton.

Indeed, fitting the player with the highest odds, he was overpowering each enemy amongst the Undead Legion.

– Wang Lin is also quite powerful!

– Yes, while other players are struggling against the Undead Legion, with his 'Heavenly Demon Body' Gift, he is quite comfortably dealing with the enemies!

– If it weren't for Barren and Wang Lin, the southern walls might have already fallen.

– Yes, that's true but…

[Become equal]

Bang!

The soldier helping the player, the 'Guard', was shattered.

"Ugh! Why are these things so strong…?!"

Whack!

One by one, the players started to fall.

An Undead Legion pushing back their foes systematically while fanatically shouting about equality.

Regardless of how powerful Barren or Wang Lin were, they weren't enough to change the tide of the battlefield alone. The southern walls were being seized by Kill the King, starting from the outskirts.

"Ah… No, no way…"

Watching the TV, Lee Hayeon trembled, biting her nails.

Why?

'Why is this happening again?…'

The system intervened.

The BattleNet system made a direct balance patch.

Then why did it turn out this way?

"Wang Lin! Why is the Heavenly Demon so weak?!"

Wasn't the Heavenly Demon supposed to be the most powerful existence in the martial world?

Having an SSS-grade Gift of the Heavenly Demon Body and only throwing a light breeze is absurd!

"What is that?! Even a fan would have a stronger wind than that! If it's the Heavenly Demon form, you should wipe them all out in one go! Such a waste of a name!"

"Miss. That's already very powerful. While other warrior players are struggling, Wang Lin has already taken down over 50."

From behind, Lim Gayeong, also a warrior, corrected her.

Heavenly Demon Wang Lin.

He was showing remarkable prowess.

While other warriors were easily suppressed and killed by just one or two undead,

Wang Lin, in his Heavenly Demon form, was ensuring each enemy was decisively defeated.

He was undoubtedly a player beyond the standard of Silver.

But.

"Ugh… Boss… Boss has already taken down over a thousand alone!"

"Ah, that's an exception. He's basically in a league of his own."

Because the other comparison group was doing insanely well, the brilliance of the Heavenly Demon seemed dim.

[He's fit to be a king!]

[Kill the King!]

The southern battlefield echoed with these cries.

The dark blue undead surrounded Seong Jihan, shouting "Kill the King!".

The undead, who never recognized Barren or Wang Lin as kings, were desperate to kill Seong Jihan.

No matter how many they sent, the undead couldn't even brush against Seong Jihan's clothes.

'I can see the end now.'

As Seong Jihan twirled his Phoenix's Arrow.

Screech!

The Undead Legion was torn apart and consumed by flames.

In this one-sided battle, he showcased overpowering martial arts, not giving even an inch.

– Why is only he performing like a true warlord?

– He's always been like that, lol. Seong Jihan is always a one-man massacre.

– I knew it and bet all my money on Seong Jihan!

– Damn Koreans! They were the only ones who knew about this sweet deal!

– Nah, don't worry… We were suspicious and made our move too…

– Trusting BattleNet was my mistake…

– Honestly, I thought BattleNet was trustworthy, agree?

– Ahhh shitshitshit where's the balance patch?!

On the official BattleTube broadcast, viewers poured out their reactions.

The chat was dominated by those who trusted the system and placed bets, only to lose their money.

– Is this some kind of joke with the balance adjustments? If you're going to change it like this, at least announce it!

Lee Hayeon was one of them.

"Miss, you're the master of the Daegi Guild, so maybe you shouldn't be typing in chat like this…"

"I'm speaking as Lee Hayeon, an individual, not as a guild master right now! Is BattleNet joking? If they were going to do this, they shouldn't have announced it so grandly!"

"Ah, yes."

Watching Lee Hayeon relentlessly criticize BattleNet from morning, Lim Gayeong gave up trying to stop her.

Instead, she smiled slyly, thinking of her own bets.

'I should've started betting against the Miss earlier.'

It was as if there was such an easy way to duplicate money.

She regretted not realizing sooner that she had a goose that laid golden eggs right beside her.

Just as the game seemed to be concluding,

[No… No… This won't do.]

The undead, who had been shouting about equality, laughed eerily and then suddenly stopped moving.

Like marionettes with their strings cut, they fell to the ground and were quickly absorbed into the earth.

Unlike the fierce battle in the south, the north now had no enemies left.

– Oh! Is the battle in the north over? Will Player Seong Jihan secure the first place once again?!

– I'm not sure… Something doesn't feel right.

Before the commentators could finish,

Boom!

The central wall behind Seong Jihan suddenly collapsed.

– No, no!

– What's happening all of a sudden?!

The BattleNet broadcast camera quickly focused on the collapsed wall.

There,

The sight of the central wall, completely crushed under a giant handprint, was fully revealed.

"Oh. Oh… What, what is this?! Could it be another balance patch?!"

In Lee Hayeon's despairing eyes, a glimmer of hope appeared.