Chapter 75

– They got completely crushed, LOL.

– Look at that obsession to pull off a pentakill. Unbelievable!

– He could have killed them outside, but he chose to throw them into the sanctuary, LOL.

– The way they hid was impressive, but finding and dragging them out? Legendary!

In the Valley of the End, where teams fiercely battle 5v5, one player soared around capturing and tossing every enemy into the sanctuary.

Such a scene was beyond belief.

However, if that player was Seong Jihan, it made all the sense in the world.

"Alright…"

Fwish!

From Seong Jihan's left hand, Eclipse extended, with a brilliant white current wrapping around it.

His next target? The Demon faction's protective shield.

A thunder-based attack was the most effective against it but…

Fwish!

The brilliant current on the blade was weakening the power of the shadows.

[Master, Eclipse isn't at a level to harness the power of thunder yet. It will only have a negative effect.]

"So, it still doesn't work."

[At SSS-grade, it can enhance all attributes, but for now, only darkness can be strengthened.]

Enhancing all attributes at SSS-grade, impressive.

But for now, the contradiction between his shadow blade Eclipse and the power of thunder was an unavoidable fact.

Seong Jihan sheathed his blade, pulling out the Phoenix's Arrow from his inventory.

'Only three throws left.'

During the Shadow Queen quest, he used the Phoenix's Arrow twice.

After three more throws, the item would vanish.

If he wanted to continuously use the item like a spear, he'd need to deliberately avoid throwing it, but…

'There's no need to be so frugal.'

It was handy so far, but it's just an A-grade item.

As he grows, better items will be required, so there's no need to be too attached.

Using it when he can was for the best.

Fwish!

The Phoenix's Arrow was engulfed by the white current.

Unlike with Eclipse, the Phoenix's Arrow, which contained the power of fire, was a good match for the thunder.

Soon, the spear was enveloped in a radiant energy, blazing fiercely.

[Death Reaper greatly senses the threat to the Demon's Sanctuary!]

[Death Reaper summons the flames of death!]

Just as lightning struck when he attacked the Angel's sanctuary; dark flames erupted around Seong Jihan's feet as he targeted the Demon's Sanctuary.

The dark flames seemed as if they'd swallow him up, but…

Nameless Divine Arts, Footwork Technique: Flashing Sky Thunder Steps

Seong Jihan's body soared high into the sky, out of reach from the rising flames.

Leveraging his power, Seong Jihan, hovering in the sky, ignited the Phoenix's Arrow with fury.

Soon, an intense power that wasn't fully contained within the Phoenix's Arrow ran wild, with white currents and flames intertwining.

[Death Reaper reinforces the sanctuary's protection!]

[Death Reaper's scythe directly protects the sanctuary!]

Perhaps sensing the dangerous energy, the Death Reaper's scythe that protected the Demon Faction proactively flew towards the sanctuary.

This situation alone was testament to how powerful Seong Jihan's attack was.

He watched the currents, which couldn't be fully contained in the Phoenix's Arrow, as they shot in every direction.

'It's still hard to control completely.'

One of the three Nameless Divine Arts, Divine Thunder Decree.

While its destructive power was unmatched, it was a difficult skill to control.

Especially now, using it without the backing of the Nameless Divine Arts made it even more challenging.

'But it's easier than when I was at Bronze.'

Maybe because his ability had improved significantly since level 25, he was able to better control the thunder power spreading in all directions.

Seong Jihan concentrated his energy.

Nameless Divine Arts, Divine Thunder Decree – Striking Thunderbolt

A phoenix's cry falling from the sky.

The thunder it carried turned into a massive lightning bolt.

[The Death Reaper uses a special move to prevent the humiliation of the sanctuary.]

[The Death Reaper's scythe strengthens the sanctuary.]

Even before the lightning touched, had it been predicted that this couldn't be stopped?

The system message that the Reaper's scythe had divided appeared before Seong Jihan's eyes.

However.

"Even so."

Sssssk!

When the dark protective barrier was temporarily pierced, the bodies of the five players inside were all burnt to a char.

The giant wall of lightning was momentarily pierced by the Death Reaper's scythe and blocked.

But the players inside couldn't withstand that brief burst of power.

[Pentakill!]

[Player Seong Jihan has achieved a Pentakill!]

More overwhelming power than when he encountered the Archangel's protection.

This was possible because Seong Jihan's level had increased by 5 since then, and he used the Divine Thunder Decree, one of the three Nameless Divine Arts, which was the most powerful.

[You have acquired a fragment of the Death Reaper's Scythe.]

[It's a quest item. It will be stored automatically in the inventory.]

[You have cleared the linked quest – Trace of the Apostle (1).]

[You have received a reward of 20,000 achievement points.]

[The linked quest continues to Trace of the Apostle (2).]

"I finally did it."

Seong Jihan lightly smiled and checked the linked quest content.

[Linked Quest – Trace of the Apostle(2)]

[The Apostle, belonging to neither light nor dark, watches the clash of the two factions, hiding beneath a deep lake.

The cunning apostle, 'Viscount Nasheed', will act upon seeing the weapons of the Archangel and the Death Reaper break.

Throw both the fragments into the lake to pull the Viscount out of the lake and subdue him.]

[Reward: Veil of Void / Achievement points 50,000]

[Warning: If you get promoted from the Silver League, this quest will disappear.]

"Subdue Viscount Nasheed?" Seong Jihan was incredulous after checking the linked quest.

The rewards were impressive.

Just like when he cleared the Shadow Queen related quest, there was a reward of 50,000 achievement points.

The reward, 'Veil of Void', also seemed exceptional.

However, there was a reason for such generosity.

"Viscount Nasheed… is a monster that Platinum Rank players hunt in groups."

Starting from level 100, the Platinum League.

The Viscount Nasheed was a monster that five players in this league could only hunt after receiving full buffs in the valley.

So, the quest reward was generous because he was being asked to defeat a monster that normally required five Platinum players, all on his own.

"It's impossible to defeat him right now."

Seong Jihan assessed the situation rationally.

To defeat Viscount Nasheed, he would need more power than he currently possessed.

"I'll have to try when I'm close to level 50."

Thinking he should level up more for now, Seong Jihan watched the Demon Faction explode.

[You have achieved a Pentakill in both factions' sanctuaries.]

[You have cleared the hidden quest, 'Total Domination'.]

[You have received 30,000 achievement points.]

From both the Angel and Demon factions.

Rewards for achieving a Pentakill in both came in.

"This game was very profitable."

Seong Jihan smiled contentedly and logged out.

* * * * *

Gimpo Airport's private jet terminal.

The America First Guild's private plane landed there.

Two blonde Caucasians, a man and a woman, disembarked.

Both were tall with striking appearances, instantly noticeable.

Snap! Snap!

"Oh… They really came."

"Barren and Sophia, did they really come to join a major guild?"

"Two from America First… So that's 10 billion won a month?"

"Considering they're nurturing promising talents, it's cheap."

The reporters conversed amongst themselves, taking pictures of the two prospects.

Though both were still in the Silver League.

Having the SSS-class Gift and SS-class Gift made them widely known in the BattleNet industry, worthy of media attention.

Looking at the barrage of camera flashes, Barren frowned.

"Damn… Even in a country like this, they're taking photos of me? How did they find out? Did Seong send them?"

Sophia, who overheard him, blinked her blue eyes.

"Barren. Do you really think Seong would do that?"

"He might. Think about it, the Guild Master could've just come to the U.S., but why did they specifically call us here?"

Robert Gates had politely requested the guild master to visit the U.S.

He even promised considerable additional rewards on top of the regular GP payment for the lease agreement.

"I heard that the female Guild Master had a very positive attitude toward the U.S. business trip. Her travel expenses were significant."

"But Seong told the guild master not to go?"

"Yes. Why do you think? It's all to hold back my growth."

"…What a delusion."

To any observer, it was clear Barren was the one overly conscious of Seong Jihan, whereas it seemed Seong didn't care as much.

Sophia chose not to voice her thoughts.

"Shit. There's only one limousine?"

"Ha. Is this the standard for Korean limousines? So cramped."

"This is the only alcohol they have? I can't drink this cheap stuff."

Even after leaving the airport and during the limousine ride, Barren constantly voiced his complaints.

Sophia, unable to bear his incessant grumbling, took out her tablet PC.

With wireless earphones in, she logged into BattleTube.

She noticed a new video uploaded to a channel she is subscribed.

"Seong… He's playing the game now?"

The player, Seong Jihan, first came to her attention during a 'Top 100' match.

The very game in which he defeated Barren in a single move.

Upon seeing Seong's gameplay, Sophia was unexpectedly captivated by him.

"That's so thrilling…!"

She always had a preference for front-line Warriors over Mages or Archers.

Watching Seong single-handedly dominate the game, she was utterly smitten.

There were, of course, many players more potent than Seong Jihan currently.

But none dominated their respective leagues as Seong did.

With a bang, Seong destroyed a jungle monster in a single strike.

"Wow…!"

Sophia exclaimed softly.

The way Seong would overpower any adversary in one go was thrilling.

Even blockbuster movies had moments of crisis, but Seong's channel was devoid of such episodes.

His gameplay was the epitome of adrenaline rush, exactly to Sophia's taste.

"Tsk…"

Barren, noticing Sophia's engrossed gaze on Seong's channel, looked displeased.

He believed those admiring glances should be directed at him.

Ever since Seong burst onto the scene in the Top 100 matches, everything seemed to tilt out of favor for Barren.

"Oh my God…!"

Sophia's continuous exclamations were getting to him.

In frustration, Barren gulped down the very champagne he had earlier labeled as 'cheap'.

'He beckons me all the way to Korea… and he's just playing games?'

Barren, convinced that Seong invited him to Korea solely to rival and overshadow him, fueled his resolve.

'Once I join the guild, I'll quickly turn things around…!'

He continued to drink, not setting down the bottle until the limousine reached Sword Palace.