Chapter 111
In co-op games, progressing usually requires the cooperation of two or more users.
It's different from typical team games.
In team games, even if one person messes up or leaves, others can fill the gap if they play well, albeit with some difficulty.
But co-op games?
Filling that gap is systemically hard.
Of course, there are exceptions.
But this wasn't one of those times.
Because it's a tutorial meant to teach upcoming cooperation.
A tutorial is supposed to teach the most basic cooperation, so why would they let you do things alone?
“No wonder the tutorial was that hard.”
Bang!
Bang!
Watching the compression robot slam down the base of the trash mountain, Seo-jun said.
“Yeah. It’s not for nothing that it’s called Nightmare difficulty. Can you carry?”
“Possible.”
“Wow, man, that’s reassuring as hell?”
“Be careful from now on. If you die, it’s over.”
The mission reward had already piled up to nearly a million won.
Even split with Tae-woo, five hundred thousand won is a huge amount.
Having recently won the battlefield and earned such a huge sum in a day, it might look small, but thinking about it, the battlefield isn’t hourly—it’s three weeks’ worth of pay for 21 days.
In contrast, this is hourly.
And the amount keeps going up in real time.
“I’ll go down first and check the patterns and how to break it, so you wait behind.”
“Yes!”
- Tae-woo, just act like you normally do lol
- For real, if he acts normal, the mission fails right away lol
- I trust the host. He’ll be damn good. But I also trust the other host. Please troll!
- Honestly, it’s not average-player level, but he's not a talent who clears Soulslikes in one go, is he?
Shrrrk.
Seo-jun slid down like Tae-woo, like skiing.
And while measuring the length of the rope he’d seen earlier, he prepared to jump.
Sure enough, the compression robot immediately raised its arm and slammed down to trap Seo-jun inside.
The impact made the floor Seo-jun stood on shake, about to make the person standing on it lose balance.
Seo-jun jumped up first.
Bang!
After slamming down, the compression robot immediately scooped up the trash, but Seo-jun was already evading in mid-air.
But he couldn’t stay airborne forever, and just as the inwardly drawn scraper and his falling body were about to collide.
Seo-jun flung the rope at the robot’s right shoulder while simultaneously kicking into the air.
Chaaak.
Flipping backward and dodging the scraper, Seo-jun landed safely, sliding across the ground.
In his hand was the taut rope.
The hook had caught.
‘Game assists are pretty convenient.’
He’d thrown it roughly, but the hook wrapped nicely.
It would’ve caught even without assists.
“Hngh.”
Suddenly, strength surged through his arm.
Because the robot with the hook on its shoulder pulled to pull it out.
A contest of strength between Seo-jun and the robot began.
“Seeing how your strength matches heavy equipment, you’ve got incredible monster strength?”
A tense equilibrium of power was achieved.
- Monster strength indeed lol
- He’s matching a robot half the size of a trash mountain.
- At least the goat of arm wrestling on Earth, probably.
In reality, anyone would say it’s impossible, and even bringing those born with divine strength in past lives wouldn’t make it possible, but it’s a game anyway.
Time passed as his feet dug into the trash-made ground.
1 second.
2 seconds.
3 seconds.
[If I’m alone, holding out is my limit!]
Then the narration rang out and the robot suddenly let go of the pulling force as if cutting the taut rope, and lunged at Seo-jun.
A raised scraper and the rope slipping off because of it.
‘Is 3 seconds the limit?’
If it were someone else, they’d have lurched forward from the sudden loss of balance, but Seo-jun, who doesn’t lose focus in combat, released the force from his hand the moment the robot let go, so there wasn’t really a crisis.
The robot again slammed the scraper behind Seo-jun as if to surround him, then scooped, while Seo-jun lightly jumped and threw the hook.
Clank.
- Ugh
- Seen it once, so he’s relaxed.
- Even first time he didn’t get hit, the host, so the same attack won’t work!
- For real lol
He waits again.
1 second.
2 seconds.
3 seconds.
Boom!
‘As expected, it seems another person needs to hook within that time.’
Seo-jun repeated it a few more times carefully, and judged that Tae-woo was needed to move to the next phase.
“You can come down now, I think?”
There’s only one pattern, so you’ve probably learned it by now?
“Trust me. I’ve mastered it.”
“Sure.”
Seo-jun waited for the confident Tae-woo to descend while dodging attacks again.
Seo-jun trusted Tae-woo.
In a different sense.
‘He’ll definitely make a mistake.’
I trust!
The fact that you’ll mess up!
He didn’t say it out loud.
Just in case he got mad and deliberately threw himself to suicide.
This too was possible because he trusted Tae-woo.
He believed that if given a reason, Tae-woo would throw away the mission and the million won just to screw over Seo-jun and slam right into it.
That’s what friends are like.
Chaaak.
Seo-jun landed and pulled the rope.
“Throw.”
“Got it!”
Sliding down, Tae-woo flung the hook at the left shoulder.
The hook flew straight and wrapped properly.
“Oh, so this is how it feels. But what do we do now?”
- Does the 3-second rule apply here too?
- 3-second rule lol. Hmm, dropped food picked up within 3 seconds is safe.
- I was talking about basketball?
- Please follow the 3-second rule for safe driving!
- Everyone’s talking nonsense. It’s about senior students giving 3-second concessions to juniors at Muhak.
Staring dumbfounded at the chat window full of all kinds of talk, Seo-jun snapped back to his senses.
Even though far more than 3 seconds had passed, the enemy wasn’t reacting much.
“Hey. Shall we pull?”
He said to Tae-woo, who was ready to run if it got dangerous while watching the situation.
“Pull where?”
“Into this trash pile?”
I think they said something like that in the game.
- So you mean bury it? Shivering.
- The host’s true nature shows!
- Trying to bury it in a hill, as expected. Viewers, be careful.
“Let’s just try.”
“Okay.”
Seo-jun pulled with all his might.
It was taut even alone. Now with two putting in strength, there was no way it wouldn’t be pulled.
Seo-jun and Tae-woo instinctively spread out to the peaks on either side and pulled the rope.
They didn’t forget to burst with strong force while jumping.
That was the only way to slam the robot into the mountain they were standing on.
The robot was dragged by them,
(＞△＜)
making this expression and slammed into the trash mountain with a roar.
Trash scattered everywhere, and three hearts, presumably the robot’s health, appeared at the top of the screen.
And one heart lost its red and became empty.
“Bingo. Seo-jun, nice.”
“Looks like we do it like this.”
- Found the method
- If we keep doing this, is it another loss?
- Safe asset my ass, looks easy again
- I still trust Tae-woo
[Nice!]
[Wait, that thing isn’t dead yet.]
The robot, having come to, smoothly slipped out.
It probably wasn’t just my imagination that the white thing turned red as if heating up.
Thud thud.
Trash clung to its head, shoulders, and all parts of the robot level with the ground, and it fell bit by bit as the robot moved.
(@ @)
The robot, in a dazed state, shook its head left and right before coming to.
(＼ ／)
The robot immediately rolled quickly toward Tae-woo, who was on the opposite side from Seo-jun.
Facing the robot, Tae-woo spit out a word.
“Me again?”
- lol, did you make it your mortal enemy?
- What’s the criteria? Did it really get pissed because Tae-woo greeted it earlier?
- It has a power level scanner, that’s why it’s avoiding the host.
It’s probably because it’s closer.
Seo-jun looked at Tae-woo’s stream chat.
- It’s because you're ugly, endure with grit
- If you’re mad, just dodge well
- Show us once
- Let’s challenge
- How long will you take being spoon-fed, Tae-woo!
They were provoking.
Everyone had thought it was a safe asset and added mission money, so they looked anxious.
This is why you shouldn't bet on something unless you’re sure.
Having experienced his heart sinking when he bet on a strategy at the start of the battlefield, Seo-jun clicked his tongue inwardly.
Even then, he’d bet with half confidence, but wasn’t he still scared?
“No, I’m telling you I’m not bad at it. I’ll show you.”
Okay.
While Seo-jun headed toward where Tae-woo and the robot were, the robot approached Tae-woo and raised its arm.
It happened because Tae-woo hadn’t gone up beforehand.
However, Seo-jun wasn’t that worried.
Tae-woo probably had confidence and didn’t go up beforehand.
He’d be able to dodge at least that much.
“Oh.”
Tae-woo jumped into the air like Seo-jun, then kicked backward and dodged.
At the same time, he even threw the hook.
- ?
- He succeeds on the first try.
- Did we underestimate Tae-woo too much? lol
- Damn!
Of course, that didn’t mean Seo-jun slowed his approach to Tae-woo.
“Hurry, come and hook it!”
Not because they needed to cooperate to deplete another health bar.
The taut rope momentarily lost tension.
3 seconds?
No.
In less than 1 second, the balance of power broke.
The problem was the ground supporting Tae-woo.
The trash ground that easily slid and caved in with a little force or a double jump landing.
Not land where soil is trash for growing crops, but a floor literally made of trash.
If you don’t keep it in mind, you can wobble slightly like Tae-woo now, and the moment the taut force weakens, the robot doesn’t miss it and lunges immediately.
Tae-woo wasn’t prepared for the sudden change and missed the timing to jump.
Powerless, Tae-woo watched the giant scraper pass above his head.
Whoosh.
That moment.
Seo-jun, having arrived behind Tae-woo, grabbed the scruff of his neck and pulled him back.
Tae-woo fell backward onto his butt.
Bang.
The scraper lodged right in front of Tae-woo’s feet.
- Kya! That’s it!
- Wow...
- Hey, no cheating! lol
- Super save, damn cool
It was precise range calculation.
“Wow, damn. I trusted you!”
“Me too.”
“Huh?”
“I said I trusted you too.”
Seo-jun, whose trust hadn’t been betrayed, smiled refreshingly as he swept his hair back.
As expected, he knew he’d make a mistake.
Still, it was a bit close, but he saved him.
It was good he trusted.
“What’s this? Why do I feel bad?”
“Shut up and get ready to hook the rope.”
Then Seo-jun left Tae-woo and shot forward.
And as the robot approached and attacked, he dodged its arm, jumped over it, and passed while hooking its shoulder.
The robot turned 90 degrees sideways from the force.
Tae-woo easily threw a hook onto the exposed, defenseless shoulder.
“Hooked! Nice!”
- Looks excited
- Feels good being carried
- Seriously spoon-feeding everything lol
- This was a risky asset again, wasn’t it? Damn
They put strength again and slammed the robot into a nearby trash pile.
* * *
Kwaaang!
The red of the third heart disappeared and turned ash gray.
Narration flowed out.
Tae-woo’s character, Art, said.
[Did we finish it?]
[Hey, shit.]
[What?]
[Because of you, it’s moving again.]
As he said, the toy stuck in the trash pile shuddered in place and slowly reversed out of the trash mountain.
Seo-jun watched that sight with slightly pitiful eyes.
Its reversing figure was pitiful, and its outward appearance couldn’t be called good even with empty words.
Broken in places and so ruined it was immediately noticeable, even an enemy would have to worry for it.
Also.
Perhaps sensing something, it moved its arm very gently.
But it seemed it should have been even more careful.
Crack.
The long blade attached to the front broke in two.
That toy’s expression looks despairing now, but that’s probably just my imagination?
- Poor thing lol
- Is this how phase 2 starts? lol
- Oh, the scraper became dual blades lol
[Ah, why is it so tough.]
[Yeah. Huh? Look over there. What’s that door suddenly opening?]
Following the narration, Seo-jun turned his gaze to the opening door.
Rumble.
With a deafening sound of something huge moving, the giant door opposite the entrance where the robot came in opened upward.
Whoosh!
And beyond the door, something special was flickering.
Very red and hot just to look at.
Fire.
Knowing why it opened without even looking, Seo-jun shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s an incinerator.”
Tae-woo said.
“That’s a bit...”
[That bastard. Shall we put it in there?]
[Let’s do it now!]
- Aah...
- My bad for a moment, sorry ㅜㅜ
- It attacked first, why are you feeling sorry for no reason lol
- This is self-defense!
- Anyone can see humans are the bad guys here lol