Chapter 117

Just like before, the initial wave was composed of death knights, which were known to be the strongest undead that even Platinum and Diamond rankers occasionally struggled against.

Swish- Clank-!

Despite their strength, every time JiHan swung the Phoenix Flag, the death knights scattered like falling leaves.

- See? I was right. Each swing wipes out multiple death knights like nothing.

- Ah… I hate that I can't deny it… ㅜㅜ

- Things like the Heavenly Thunder Net aren't necessary, hahaha. He's just sweeping through all of them by himself.

- Seriously, he's the type of player you shouldn't apply logic to.

Anyone familiar with Battle Net might have thought that he wouldn't be able to solo it like before without Heavenly Thunder Net, but any such doubts quickly vanished.

Nameless Divine Arts Three Talents Technique: Thousand-Soldier Sweep.

Fwoosh-!

The group of death knights in front of him was completely engulfed in flames. The display of strength was completely different from before due to his recent stat increases upon reaching Gold. On top of that, his weapon and attack power were also much stronger.

'The Lightning Seal stat is pretty impressive.'

The stat, which enhanced the power of lightning, also applied to when he simply swung a weapon, not just to lightning skills. The damage type was highly effective against the undead, so not even the powerful death knights could endure his attacks.

'This is easy.'

He easily cut down the monsters on the ground, and when he had time, he also eliminated the ghost troops, but he didn't have time to cover all of the aerial threats.

BZZT-!

Bijang, who was watching with his arms crossed, took care of the phantoms crossing the cliff.

"Hmm…! You aren't as good as Zhao Yung, but not bad!" Bijang grumbled with a dissatisfied look. He hoped JiHan would ask for help and fiercely struggle, but he fought too well.

"As expected of the master of a royal beast who the royal family recognized…" Bijang muttered to himself while looking at the other side of the bridge. 

It wasn't long before the legion of death knights was almost completely annihilated.

Then…

Thud, thud, thud-!

The sounds of galloping horses reached him from the distance, and black-armored cavalry in dense formation crested the cliff. A flag emblazoned with a black bird spreading its wings fluttered over their formation as the cavalry approached the bridge with fearsome momentum.

It was the Phoenix Troop's Black Spear Cavalry, which signaled the start of the next wave.

"It seems that Hojo has arrived… You there! Move!" Bijang stood up. It didn't matter how strong the guest from the imperial palace was; he couldn't ask him to fight against Hojo, the leader of the Phoenix Troop. 

"Gatekeeper," JiHan said, "it's okay."

"What do you mean? That's Hojo!"

"Why would you use a cow knife on a chicken?"

"Wh-what…?!"

"I'll handle Hojo."

When he heard that, Bijang unconsciously shook and thought, 'So I'm a cow knife and Hojo is just a chicken?'

"Hmm. But still, Hojo isn't an easy opponent," Bijang said in a soft voice. "He's one of the five great generals of the Wind Empire. Even if you're recognized as the master of a divine beast, he won't be an easy opponent."

JiHan nodded. 'He isn't wrong.'

Hojo was a giant like Bijang, and he was a very strong mid-level boss. Despite being a giant, he was skilled at wielding his huge sword as if it weighed almost nothing, so even most Diamond players left him to Bijang.

There had been instances of parties recklessly facing Hojo only to be annihilated, resulting in the game's end.

'I don't think I'll lose in my current state.'

He wouldn't have dared fight Hojo in Silver, but he felt he'd gotten incredibly stronger after getting to Gold. Even if he couldn't overpower the giant, he was confident he could survive his attacks.

'It's worth trying if it's to obtain Bijang's recognition.' He had several things he was determined to try to complete the epic quest.

"Isn't it uncommon for the commander to take the lead on the battlefield? Leave it to me," he said.

"Hmm… How could I treat a royal guest as a subordinate?"

"Gatekeeper, you have the right to do so."

"Ehem!" Bijang touched the tip of his nose with his finger. His past resentment was relieved a bit at the thought that a guest from the royal family would treat him in such a respectful manner.

"Still, it won't be easy," the giant said. "Okay… Take this!"

Swish-

Bijang's spear flew through the air and let off a bright flash.

BZZT…!

A bolt of lightning slammed down in front of JiHan, and the debris cleared to reveal a spear of shimmering electricity.

"This…"

"I've imbued it with some of my thunderbolt's power. Absorb it into your spear and use it."

JiHan stared at the lightning spear in front of him. It was comparable to the Phoenix Flag in terms of strength, which meant it was SS-ranked in terms of performance.

'If this is just part of it, there's a high chance that the main Cloud Thunderbolt Spear is SSS-rank.'

He decided he had to obtain it at all costs and brought his Phoenix Flag close to the lightning spear.

BZZT-!

The lightning wrapped around the Phoenix Flag, and sparks of electricity burst out as the lightning clashed with the white flame of the flag, but when the surging electricity reached his right hand…

[The Cloud Thunderbolt Spear's energy reacts to the Lighting Seal.]

The sparking electricity started to rapidly wane as the lightning reacted with the crown-shaped seal engraved on JiHan's right hand.

[The power of lightning has increased. The Thunderbolt recognizes the player as its master.]

[The Lightning Seal stat has increased by 2.]

'Oh. To think it would increase my stats…!'

After increasing the Thunder Seal stat by 2, the Thunderbolt quietly settled on the Phoenix Flag.

"To think the Thunderbolt would settle so obediently, you truly are worthy of being a divine beast's master!" Bijang exclaimed in admiration.

[You've earned Bijang's recognition.]

A notification that he'd cleared the epic quest's first condition appeared. 

* * *

JiHan's eyes widened. He'd already been recognized? That was very different from last time.

'The Phoenix Flag is helping me a lot.'

After Bijang mistook him for a royal guest, he recognized him on his own.

'All I have to do now is save him.'

Bijang had a strong prejudice toward appearances, so he'd thought getting recognized would be harder than saving him. He'd overcome a major hurdle in completing the epic quest.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as expected from there.

"Wh-what's going on…?!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Hojo, the giant leader of the Phoenix Troops in full black armor, came running from beyond the cloud bridge. He looked extremely agitated.

"A ph-phoenix! To think a phoenix would be here! Who's its master? Ah, is it you?" He gasped, and his eyes widened when he saw JiHan blocking his way. "Y-you! What's your name?!"

"Why do you want to know?" JiHan asked.

"Come to the Wind Empire! If you bring the phoenix, I'll give you my position as the leader of the Phoenix Troop! I'll become the vice leader and serve you!"

- I've never seen Hojo agitated like this.

- Right? Isn't he usually calm and composed?

- How is this going to progress now?

- I don't know. It's been a long time since it deviated from the original defense game, hahaha.

Not even seasoned Battle Net viewers could predict the next move, and that also applied to JiHan.

'It's my first time seeing something like this happen.'

He couldn't even imagine how far the butterfly effect from his Phoenix Flag would spread. He was curious about what would happen if he accepted the proposal, but his main priority was clearing the epic quest and getting the Cloud Thunderbolt Spear.

"What if I refuse?"

"Then… I'll force you to obey!"

Whir!

Hojo swiftly drew his blade and struck at JiHan as if he were expecting the response. The strike truly suited a mid-level boss that even a Diamond would struggle against.

Wind surged around JiHan, but he thought it was startlingly weak. Compared to what he'd experienced before, Hojo's movements were too slow.

'Is he holding back?'

Maybe Hojo was controlling his strength in the hopes of capturing him alive. If that were the case, it was best to strike back while he had the chance.

Swish-!

He easily dodged the attack and channeled energy into his Phoenix Flag. The lightning and white flames intertwined around the flag's spearhead and poured toward Hojo.

Nameless Divine Arts Heavenly Lightning Technique: Thunderclap Lightning.

BZZT-!

Thanks to the added power of the thunderbolt, Thunderclap Lightning went off faster than it usually did.

Although Hojo tried to avoid it with agile movements that defied his size…

BZZT-!

"U-ugh…!"

He couldn't move faster than lightning, and the Thunderclap Lightning struck his left arm, which turned to ash and vanished in an instant.

Horror filled Hojo's eyes. "H… How could you have such power…?"

"Why are you so weak?" JiHan asked, tilting his head in confusion. 

Hojo wasn't supposed to be such a weak character. Wasn't he the giant who fought Bijang as an equal? He never imagined that one Thunderclap Lightning would be enough to vaporize his arm.

Having lived as a ranker, he prided himself on having good, discerning eyes. 

He could roughly estimate the difference in power between him and Hojo based on past experiences and thought he could stand against Hojo in a fight, but he hadn't imagined being able to blow his arm off with one attack.

The viewers were in an uproar over the scene, especially members of his 'The First' fan club.

- OMG. Are you accepting new fan club members?! I'll blindly support JiHan from now on!

- Blindly? That's true wisdom.

- How did he do that? It seemed like he received a buff from Bijang… Just how big of a buff was it?

- Stop trying to analyze and follow.

- That's why I'm following JiHan and moving to Gangnam.

"You bastard…!" Hojo's reddened at JiHan's words. Being called weak by such a tiny human was humiliating.

His vaporized arm regenerated immediately, and he let out a fierce roar as he rushed toward JiHan.

"I won't go easy on you!"