Chapter 316
Gerd couldn’t hide his shock.
Facing blades with Cahel instead of Seo Jun wasn’t something that happened often.
There was only one opponent, and they were twelve.
But every time they clashed swords in the fight, it felt like facing Seo Jun back on the Train.
No, he was even better.
He fought better. Was this his true skill all along?
He pressed in fiercely, moved with perfect efficiency to defend against attacks, and struck with chilling precision.
The opponent was an AI.
An AI that pulled data from just one person, not even a top player.
Unless the situation perfectly matched the stored data, the AI had no choice but to show movements that were a downgrade.
And a perfectly identical situation could never occur.
So its movements and attacks should always be a downgrade from the “real” thing.
“Gah!”
The blade dug in sharply, touching his body. Cahel simply brought the sword down.
The angle lacked power, so it came straight down without resistance.
The result:
Clang!
The sound of shattering glass.
“Ugh.”
The problem was, it didn’t end there.
The sword, already recovered, stabbed at him again.
Aiming at a vital point that would appear somewhere on his body.
If he lowered his head for a moment to check where the vital point had appeared, the attack would land at that instant.
So he had to watch the opponent’s attacks and block or dodge them.
Clang!
Even that was difficult.
Right as the third attack came in.
Boom!
He couldn’t afford to take that third hit, so he slammed his greatsword into the ground.
It was a skill that caused an explosion on impact with the blade when desired.
[Eruption]
Getting caught in this explosion would stun you. Of course, the range wasn’t large.
But Gerd was the world’s best at the proficiency of this trick—slamming the skill into the ground to land it.
And on top of that, a barrage of other attacks was pouring in.
So!
“……!”
Seo Jun dodged the attacks in advance, read the timing of his perfect trick, and stepped one pace ahead to his side.
And then Seo Jun, aligned with his direction, slashed at the third vital point inscribed on Gerd’s body—or more precisely, on his hit scan.
All of this had happened in less than two seconds.
And when another two seconds had passed.
In Gerd’s eyes was the face of a handsome Korean man: emotionless eyes that seemed to say it was an AI, absurdly arched brows and upturned lips in complete contrast.
The reason was simple.
He had just been like that for a while.
Is he a joker? The AI’s atmosphere had an added eeriness.
‘Eugh, scary.’
The mark of heresy.
Even if he tried to block it, it would activate.
[Gravity Field]
[Fire Sealing Technique]
[Earth Seal]
[Healing Touch]
The skills meant to help were blocked by the invincibility skill that had come off cooldown with precise calculation.
And Cahel, having distanced himself, deliberately—
Really deliberately—plunged his sword into the ground.
[Radiant Blessing]
[Judgment Sword]
He wouldn’t die. Probably.
Since healing was coming in.
Rumble!
At that moment.
Seo Jun had already moved in front of him and slashed. His health dropped.
He’d taken advantage of the moment when Cahel pretended to stab his sword into the ground and turned his gaze away, moving immediately.
The speed should have been insufficient to reach him.
Instant acceleration?
No.
‘He could have gone even faster!’
The speed was off.
From the start, Cahel had been fighting as if swapping out his speed and tempo every time.
Still, you could roughly get a sense of his maximum speed.
But.
“Damn it. He tricked me here too?”
Clearly, the original owner of this body had pulled this stunt.
Both were disgusting.
The one who did it, and the AI copying it.
“If you’re copying even this, what the hell were you thinking!”
Fear.
Disbelief.
Frustration.
Boom!
All those emotions were impaled along with the Judgment Sword, and he was executed.
Afterward, the first thing Gerd did when he picked up his phone was to check when Seo Jun had adjusted his speed.
Meanwhile, Cahel casually used another potion. His health had no choice but to drop, after all.
But the result was that his health began to fill back up completely.
“F-fourth potion…”
Someone was horrified.
No, maybe everyone was.
“Don’t worry! This will be the last!”
* * *
“That’s the second successful hunt. Eleven left.”
“Yes. Are you enjoying yourself, Seo Jun-nim?”
“Honestly, quite a bit.”
“This is being recorded. Please, hide your true feelings.”
Currently, there was a camera in his room filming Seo Jun’s appearance outside.
The reason was simple.
Seo Jun had requested it.
‘It’s necessary.’
Yeah.
Because someday he would reveal the whole story, so it was necessary for that time.
That was why Seo Jun was in broadcast mode right now.
Team Leader Lee was also aware that Seo Jun would speak as a streamer.
“Hahaha. Well. Let’s just talk about the game. Hmm, I hope Cahel spares Yon and Singeom.”
“…….”
Team Leader Lee sighed and asked why.
“Why.”
“I have to kill them.”
Was this a streamer?
“Ah, yes.”
Was this really the image of someone being filmed off the record?
Was he doing this because he didn’t know public opinion?
For God’s sake, at least pretend to be nice!
“Hmm, ah, he shouldn’t be doing that there. The AI performance is pretty lousy.”
“……. Hey. Do you know what the public opinion on AI is like right now?”
Team Leader Lee sighed again.
The public opinion on someone so powerful who freeloaded with auto-hunting…
[Did the stream host really show this level of performance?]
==
Well, he did lolololololol
==
-Yeah, he did lololol
-The AI just did what it collected, what’s the problem?
-For real lololol
[But no, srsly lololololololol this is too much, the AI is freaking awesome]
[Does auto-hunting even make sense?]
[If you think Jin Seo Jun worked hard to actually balance this, upvote lololololololololololololol]
‘W-well, that’s good?’
Hmm.
Was it because it was Korean community opinion, so it was favorable?
This time, she looked at the North American side.
[Crazy Korean!]
==
Hahaha!
Just crazy Korean!
I acknowledge it! Your auto-hunting!
==
[It won’t end like this, right?]
==
No way?
==
-Don’t make a fuss
└If it’s that Korean, seems like he’ll come when there’s one left hahahaha!
└└Yon?
└└└wwwwwww
-The pros have got the hang of it now!
└There are no more fakes to let out. Because the original owner used up all the tricks! Now it’s a real skill battle
└└Is it just my imagination that he won’t lose that skill battle either?
[This is something he prepared. You can’t ignore his effort.]
==
As I see it, it was effort even on the Train.
The way he deliberately acted like a mad dog in Atura was also part of this effort.
==
-Wasn’t he not the mastermind during Atura?
└He clearly prepared it to make the mastermind and the AI fight one-on-one
└└Oh
└└└That’s possible
Possible, my ass.
‘It was because of the synchronization rate.’
Sigh.
Still, there was a dangerous part.
[It might actually be an advantage because of auto-hunting.]
==
Because the AI drains all their stamina.
But what if the AI was using 100% of the mastermind’s skill?
This could be not audacity, but cheating.
==
-Yeah, conspiracy theory
└But still, the AI’s level is too high
-Hmmph
-It seems like the AI is definitely better than the original?
Such opinions weren’t large, but they had to be watched.
The fact that the AI seemed stronger than the original was probably not an illusion.
“Hmph. Isn’t this the true ‘dakkal’*[note], Team Leader?”
Because the AI wouldn’t open its mouth like that.
There’s a meme where someone just clicks a single keyboard key while others are working hard.
Later, the term “dakkal” came to be used when winning easily and simply with minimal effort alone.
“No, you’re not even doing that ‘dakkal’!”
“Oh.”
“Why this time.”
“He’s using his fifth potion.”
Seo Jun smiled.
Just then, the voices of the participants who noticed it rang out.
[Another potion! No! What the!]
The battle continued ceaselessly.
Cahel blocked, deflected, and countered attacks. Then, whenever he found an opening, he dove in relentlessly.
Even in Seo Jun’s eyes, he fought incredibly well.
‘Has he surpassed the human realm?’
[Again! Healing again! He has life steal too, so it’s even tougher. The invincibility skill is coming up soon.]
[Crazy. Tough hyungnim. Really vicious crazy bastard, ah no, hyungnim. Anyway, how many did you stock up on! Good heavens!]
[Just come quickly! You bastard! Trying to deal with me easily and comfortably! Come quickly so I can smash you!]
Seo Jun thought.
Didn’t they tell him to stay away, that he’d cast him into the abyss?
[No. Hyungnim, you can’t come now. Rather, let the AI use up all the potions first!]
“Yon at least grasps the situation well, and Singeom-nim is in denial.”
“Hmm.”
“Common sense says the AI can’t possibly fight better than me.”
“Is that so.”
[Hey Yon! Didn’t you say there were four of those weird items? And you bought a weapon item, right! You have invincibility too! Then even without buying those items, shouldn’t the potions stop at four!]
[Could it be the inventory?]
“Hm-hmm.”
Team Leader Lee knew that Seo Jun’s words were true.
The AI didn’t reflect the mastermind’s skills as being better.
But.
‘If the AI’s performance drags on, people might not think that way….’
So they had to show it.
He would probably show it.
Because it was Seo Jun.
* * *
[Is it really the end this time?]
Huff, huff.
Ragged breathing.
Singeom scanned his surroundings. Everyone’s eyes were slightly weary.
They had the numbers, yet the fight had been dragging on for over 20 minutes.
Horrifyingly, the opponent didn’t tire.
Would an AI ever tire?
The opponent beyond wouldn’t have tired either.
‘He’s probably been snickering, watching more happily than anyone.’
They got used to dealing with it.
Within three minutes of starting, their breathing had almost completely synced up.
But because of the movements that flashed brilliantly moment by moment, they lost more comrades.
Remaining personnel: 9. The number the AI killed: 4.
“A-again!”
Someone convulsed.
A potion.
To be precise, the thirteenth potion was used.
“Crazy….”
Singeom lamented.
If only there were no invincibility.
If only they didn’t have the pressure to finish it quickly.
If only they hadn’t been cautious, not knowing when the original would come.
Above all.
If only his level had been a little lower!
But it’s fine.
“This potion will really be the last.”
The participants didn’t agree with Singeom’s words.
Still.
“…….”
“Alright, let’s catch him. Catch the hyungnim.”
“That’s right. Let’s do it.”
“The rate that obnoxious bastard is chugging potions is gradually getting faster, you know.”
Hope could be seen.
Thirteen?
There really wouldn’t be much more than this.
Moreover, their teamwork was at its peak. The opponent was now being forced to use one almost every two minutes.
Above all.
‘Cast him into the abyss.’
No matter what happened, if he hadn’t entered by now, it was only courtesy to just end it.
If the battle continued without a break, concentration would scatter.
So they, not the AI, created a lull to rest for a moment.
And now, during that lull, Singeom opened his mouth to create negative public opinion toward Seo Jun.
This would definitely work.
It wasn’t even instigation to begin with.
He was just making a pure observation public while many were watching.
If enough people sympathized, surely negative opinion would form.
“Jin Seo Jun’s usual level is about this? I can’t accept that. Isn’t this because he did something to the AI? Made it so it only operates at 100%? If it really was that bastard, we would have long ago….”
“Ha… You’re here now?”
Of all times?
Well, fine.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Ran out of potions?”
“Nope.”
In an instant, the nine faces contorted.
How many did he have?
“Two left.”
“…….”
“And I used both just now.”
“……?”
“I don’t need them.”
The real Seo Jun, his nickname turned white, bared his teeth and cast a wide-area taunt.
9 versus 1. And no potions.
The final phase had begun.
The Game Broadcast of a Swordsmanship Master
Chapter 317
24.03.22