Chapter 143
Hwangso's eyes widened. He had perceived the sound of metal striking metal.
After recognizing the clear and ringing sound that entered his ears, his nerves focused on his eyes. Automatically, quickly.
Since light is faster than sound, what he saw would have reached him before what he heard, but human senses don't work that way. Even if auditory perception of information was faster than visual, it's entirely possible.
So, in that fleeting moment, he looked straight ahead just a tiny bit later.
And. In front of him, there was the enemy. An enemy who had come out from around the corner holding a frying pan. Seojun, who had precisely blocked the leg area with that frying pan.
Also, he instinctively grasped a situation that couldn't be understood from sound alone. Because he realized his reflection was showing in the side window.
If he had just looked around a little faster, he could have seen Seojun waiting at the corner and used it to his advantage, but that regret lingered.
And Seojun's left hand rose, aiming at him and firing. 'So what?' What else could he do besides shoot?
Bang! Seojun fired immediately.
Their weapons were pistols. There was a slight delay for consecutive shots. Hwangso took the hit willingly, preparing for the next shot.
Getting hit didn't matter anyway. In place of all the helmets in a spot, only one level 3 helmet was generated, granting him plenty of extra lives. Same for the vest.
So, at this level, he could just take hits and fight. If he didn't have it, Seojun's frying pan block would have led to a fatal result.
But that wasn't reality.
'Didn't fall back?' Then die! After an exchange of gunfire lasting less than a second, it was his turn.
Seojun didn't seem to have any intention of using cover or dragging out the fight.
'Damn. He took out all my teammates, so he thinks that's enough?'
A bullet fired from the muzzle aimed at Seojun's torso. Bang!
Again, an unbelievable sound rang out. Tong!
* * *
-???
-What the?
-What am I even watching?
-Comrades from Dokkaebi, is this stream weird only for me?
-The natives here seem to think it's weird too.
-The broadcast is also weird.
-No matter how many times I wash my eyes, I keep seeing things. Someone is blocking bullets with a frying pan?
-For real lol, is this a mass hallucination? hahahahahaha
Talk of denying reality filled the chat window.
If it were the usual Seojun, he would have corrected them or pulled some other deception right away.
But he couldn't now. Because he had no time to look at chat.
Bang!
He had to focus on the situation in front of him.
The enemy's arm moved, found its target, and his finger moved.
The target, of course, was Seojun.
It could be the head, or like before, the leg.
Or maybe a protruding left arm he hadn't considered, or the largest target, the torso.
Anyway, the moment the target was decided.
Bang! Seojun swung his arm to match it.
A half-beat faster. He couldn't be late. If he was?
Clang! 'Oh. The sound is different this time.' He couldn't block a bullet flying toward his head like he just did.
-Boss, nice shot!
-Real crazy bastard...
-Deflecting with a frying pan, wtf lololol, this is really an absurd skill.
-Is this a sword? A sword!
When Seojun first held a sword—no, a frying pan—many chat messages had come up.
Among them, the one that struck Seojun the most was to not put the frying pan in the inventory but carry it on his person.
The reason was that if an enemy happened to shoot the place where he carried it, the frying pan might luckily deflect the bullet.
So Seojun thought about it. What if he didn't rely on luck but deflected them himself?
And the result was this very moment.
Bang! Seojun's gun went off, and Hwangso, whose health had significantly decreased again, gritted his teeth and shot, but. Clang! A cheerful sound rang out. It was the sound of the bullet hitting near the center of the frying pan, not glancing off.
Seojun recognized this fact from the vibration transmitted to his fingertips at the moment of impact.
"I'm getting the hang of it."
He smiled with satisfaction. He had regained his composure. Getting the hang of it meant he could focus less from now on.
Because, at the very least, he never missed or forgot a sense once he'd learned it.
"H-how? No..."
"Why don't you try shooting one more time."
Bang! Even before the sound was heard, Seojun's frying pan was already swinging. This time the target was the chest.
Just like that.
Clang! The bullet ricocheted to the left wall.
"So this is how it's done."
Honestly, he had been uncertain, but it was a perfectly manageable difficulty.
-"Getting the hang of it?" That means he's gonna start messing around lolol
-This guy is just the god of parrying lolololol
-He's parrying bullets? He's parrying bullets? He's parrying bullets?
-The streamer here is getting scarier.
"I really like the physics of Ground Zero. Would you mind shooting one more time?"
Seojun requested the enemy in front of him. Hwangso fired his gun in fright, and. Clang! The frying pan, which had moved to the left, came back and deflected the bullet again.
"Wow, wow... No, what am I supposed to do if you do this."
-Haahahahaha
-He's playing the game dirty lolol
-Streamer, you and Hwangso have met each other before, right?
-If you'd just said "haha sorry" and played normally that'd be one thing, but "why don't you try shooting" is just... lololol
-Bad bastard
-Even if they're both A-rank, they're not the same!! That's our streamer!
While those were being said, unlike Seojun who had regained his composure, Hwangso was not missing an opportunity.
No, rather, he was secretly pleased. Because the more the opponent let his guard down, the greater his chance of winning.
'Just one hit, if I can land just one hit.'
Bang! Seojun's paused attack resumed. And Hwangso, trusting his level 3 helmet and level 3 vest amidst the exchange, aimed for just one mistake.
His health was about two-thirds remaining. In that time, he had to penetrate that iron wall-like frying pan.
But. Head. Clang! Left leg. "Whoops." Clang! Hand holding the gun. Clang!
Even when it was something he could have dodged, Seojun deliberately deflected it all with the frying pan while steadily chipping away at Hwangso's health. Bang! Bang! Bang!
On the other hand, bullets embedded themselves in Hwangso's head and torso one after another. He couldn't reach the enemy, yet the enemy's attacks reached him so easily—he felt wronged. It was maddening.
He didn't know a frying pan could be such a good weapon. Even though he hadn't played Ground Zero a lot, he had played it to some extent like other users.
'Should I have brought a frying pan too?'
In the end. The enemy didn't allow even a single lapse in concentration. Even while checking chat and answering occasionally. Seojun planted a bullet in Hwangso's chest. His health was now really almost gone.
And Seojun began to walk over with heavy steps.
'No way, is he going to finish me off with the frying pan?' Hwangso no longer fired. And he casually moved his left hand behind his back. The distance between him and Seojun grew closer. Hwangso stealthily pulled the pin from a grenade he had taken from his waist.
'I won't go alone.'
And as Seojun gradually approached, he gently dropped the grenade behind him, timing it accordingly. While pretending to suddenly fire his gun.
'Surely he'll try to deflect this time too...!'
"Huh?" But Hwangso, looking straight ahead, momentarily couldn't control his expression. Because Seojun had noticed and taken cover in the next room, so he wasn't there.
"Hehehe. This rotten..." Boom! And so Hwangso died instantly.
* * *
"Ah, because of the grenade, the equipment durability must have decreased a lot. I deliberately shot the head and body evenly, so it's a bit of a shame."
It was a pointless prank. He had intended to finish with the frying pan. Partly because the viewers asked, and because he was tempted since the frying pan had such a good impact feel.
"I didn't expect the grenade self-destruct. Haha." He'd let his guard down.
-This is your first game?
-You wiped out two squads by yourself and it's your first game?
-Why's your aim so good?
-It's not aim, the frying pan is insane lol
-Streamer, you're probably the first guy to play by openly deflecting bullets from the front. I respect you!
-Dokkaebi sh*t lol, losing to a guy who deflects bullets isn't shameful! Be proud, Dokkaebi!
"Well, now there's only me here. Looting will be easy too."
Since most of the dead people would have already looted, you just needed to search the bodies. More precisely, after they died, they left behind a box instead of a name, and you could loot through that box. Seojun first headed to Hwangso.
When he opened the box, an interface like the inventory appeared on the screen. "Looting like this is more convenient. This is how you play this game, right?"
-Hahahaha
-Right
-If you're confident you can beat 8 people without taking equipment items, then this is how you do it lol
-Ah lol, just give him a frying pan.
Seojun examined Hwangso's items. The durability of the most important vest and helmet was almost completely worn out. It was due to the power of the grenade that killed the user instantly.
"I can't use these. Hm. There are quite a few first aid boxes and kits though." Seojun searched other bodies as well. No helmets or vests came out. Instead, he gathered a lot of healing items and used a few to fill his health to max.
"Alright, then I'll head underground too. You're telling me to get equipment since mine isn't broken yet? It's okay. I just won't get hit." He was all ready.
-"I just won't get hit" lol
-But he really didn't get hit, did he?
-There's nothing to pick up on the level 3 field.
-The frying pan can't cover his whole body though lol.
Seojun looked at the map and headed for the largest building in the spot. Bunkers were always located at the center, after all.
Actually, a viewer told him. If they hadn't told him because it was a tournament, it might have been troublesome?
'Ah.' He had a teammate. Seojun took out the radio from his inventory.
Static. [Huh? You finally took it out! Seojun! I believed in you!]
The teammate who immediately answered was Lumi. And what did she believe in?
[I saw in the chat while looting. Actually, you said all the damage you took when you first landed was on purpose! I found out because a viewer brought over what the commentators praised wildly!]
Uh. No, it wasn't. To be honest, he had landed roughly. Because he knew he wouldn't die from falling anyway. He had thought, 'My health drops? Future me will take care of that after landing.' Just like many students who entrust their homework to their future selves.
He didn't bother to correct her.
[Are you heading underground now?] "I have to."
[You've looted a lot, right? I'm jealous.] At those words, Seojun looked down at the frying pan in his right hand. Quite contentedly. "Yes."
-Hahahaha, he really found a damn good one
-It's an amazing sword
-Saying he's better with a gun than a sword is bullcrap lol, the sword is the best
-A famous sword!
-Is that really a sword, guys?
-1. Can you hold it in your hand? Yes. 2. Can you swing it? Yes.
-So a frying pan is a sword?
-What nonsense, lololol.
[Hwangso had a level 3 helmet, right? Since he's dead, wow. Nobody can stop you now!] It seemed the information hadn't been updated yet.
[You know once the storm shrink warning comes, you can enter the bunker from then on, right? Alpaca next to me says fighting! See you later.] "Okay. See you later."
Seojun put the radio back in his inventory and then looked at the chat. The viewers were currently fighting over whether the frying pan was a sword or not. Seriously. No, why were they fighting over something so obvious?
So Seojun decided to settle it. As he threw his only gun behind him.
"Everyone, a frying pan is indeed a sword. I'll show you proof."
[The storm will soon surround the area.] Along with that notification, the door to the underground passage opened. "Alright, let's go."
-Kya! That's right lolol
-There he goes looking for more trouble lol
-Why would you throw away a perfectly good crazy-aim gun
-Because he's a Sword Body (檢身)?
-That bastard got the hanja wrong lololol
-But it makes sense: "seal" (檢) and "body" (身) so sealing the body? Fits the streamer who imposes penalties on himself so well
-So that's what Sword Body meant lololol
-In any case, a frying pan is a sword
-If the streamer wins, we'll acknowledge it as a sword
-If he loses?
-Then he's really just a Sword Body (檢身)
-Let's go with Bungsin (retard)
-Lolol