Chapter 59
He looked around.
It was a forest full of vegetation—no, a clearing in the mountains. In a corner of the clearing, there were NPCs.
They were escorts.
The background of the game mode ‘Escort’ is mostly like this.
“So you’ve come from the Demonic Cult.”
The escort leader, the NPC who seemed to be the chief, approached and bowed his head in greeting.
“This way.”
He guided them to where the wagon and NPCs were gathered.
Seojun and his team members followed him.
“This is the item you must protect.”
The wagon held various goods packed in boxes.
The escort leader pointed to one of them.
Then, above that item alone, letters appeared, just like the nicknames floating above people’s heads.
[Celadon]
What they had to protect was a bluish ceramic.
‘It looks fragile.’
The escort leader closed the box.
And leaving them be, he hurried to prepare for departure.
“The enemies won’t know what we need to protect. The item name floating above it is only visible to us.”
The viewer spoke, and Seojun replied.
“I know.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes.”
“That’s strange. This shouldn’t be.”
His tone as he tilted his head was sincere.
- lolololololol
- What do you mean it shouldn’t be? He’s been studying ahead well lately
- Not studying ahead, it’s pre-study, you idiot
- Could he be a fake fan?
“Ah, well, maybe you did some pre-study so you wouldn’t have to do that? Hehehe.”
That.
Referring to Seojun’s penalty.
The female teammate, who was listening nearby while dusting off the wagon, spoke.
“Hey, what’s that?”
“That?”
“Yeah. That.”
“Hehe. If you’re curious, search iTube for Jin Seojun and watch.”
“Why won’t you tell me now?”
“Because it’s too embarrassing to say.”
The viewer gave a lecherous grin, then suddenly picked up a stick from the ground and began spinning in place with his hands raised above his head, as if dancing ballet.
And after stopping, he struck various poses, using the branch as a staff.
Without saying a word.
It was like a silent performance art, but the intent was clear.
Imitating a magical girl.
- lolololololololol
- Seems crazier than the streamer?
- The madness is hilarious lolololol
- Look at him with his mouth open and eyes rolling back
- That’s so creepy lol lol lol lol lol
- At this level, isn’t he a villain?
The viewers who saw it laughed, and the female teammate, perhaps because she saw something grotesque, rubbed her arms.
“What the.”
I fully sympathize with that feeling.
Seojun laughed and shook his head.
It was funny, but a bit much.
“We’re departing!”
The escort leader at the front shouted.
At the same time, the game began.
[Safely escort the goods to the destination.]
The escorts started moving, and the players also began moving in step with them.
“Seojun, you really do know what to do, right?”
Seojun nodded.
“Yes, really.”
Escort is a simple mode.
You just have to protect the goods from enemy attacks while they are moving.
3 versus 3. The side stealing the goods can get a higher score by capturing them, but they can also win by just destroying them.
Because of that, the escorting side gets escorts joining as team members.
Despite the drawback that players respawn at the starting point while escorts don’t respawn, they’re still reliable.
Knowing the enemy hadn’t appeared yet, the viewer tried a different conversation with Seojun.
“No, but how is the streamer so good at fighting?”
“Didn’t I tell you?”
If you’re his viewer, you might know.
He’s been giving a consistent answer all along.
“Ah, you remember your past life?”
“Exactly.”
Seojun nodded with an expression that said he’d answered correctly.
“Oh, that was true?”
“Of course. Would I lie?”
No one ever believed him, so had he finally met someone who did?
- Neither of them is normal lol lol lol
- The woman next to him is making a more and more sour face.
- Looking at the conversation alone, it’s pretty crazy lol lol lol
As the chat said, the woman walking alongside the wagon next to him had a face like she was watching men spouting nonsense and jokes all day long.
She opened her mouth.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“Are you really that good at the game? Earlier, they said you’re the Shin Ha-yeon Slayer.”
Shin Ha-yeon is someone hard not to know for anyone interested in virtual reality.
Moreover, the people matched now are those with a certain degree of fame.
Meaning they’re skilled players.
It’s even harder for such a skilled player not to know Shin Ha-yeon.
Seojun glared at the viewer instead of her.
“First, let me correct one thing.”
“What?”
“I’m not a slayer.”
Slayer means killer.
Using a word like that carelessly could get you memorialized on the internet for life.
- Streamer is scared???
- What’s wrong with being a slayer!
- Why can’t I say I beat Shin Ha-yeon!
- It’s not that you can’t say it, you idiots lol lol lol
What’s the most important thing a streamer must be careful about?
Controversy.
You always have to watch your mouth.
“Then what?”
“I didn’t really beat Shin Ha-yeon, I beat her clone.”
She looked at him with eyes that said ‘Yeah, right, sure.’
She must not know that very few people have beaten that clone so far.
“Tsk, Shin Ha-yeon, my foot.”
“Oh? You don’t believe me?”
Seojun didn’t think much of it, but his viewer apparently did.
“What am I supposed to believe?”
“That the streamer will carry this round!”
“Yeah, yeah. As if, sure.”
Ever since the viewer imitated a magical girl earlier, she had kept her distance from him.
“Anyway, it’s about time for them to show up.”
The woman replied.
“Yeah. Let’s be careful now.”
“Yep. I’ll stick close to the wagon. Especially since the enemy is Sal-mak, we need to be extra careful of ambushes.”
Sal-mak users with stealth skills and fast movement speed are especially threatening in this mode.
And the Tang Clan can destroy goods from a distance with throwing daggers, making them just as threatening.
Ironically, the least threatening faction was the Green Forest.
The bandits.
“Well, I’m not too worried, though. Seojun is amazing at catching assassins.”
“What makes you so confident.”
The woman clicked her tongue.
“Because……”
It was then.
Seojun, who had caught a slight trembling in the bushes along the path the wagon was passing, swiftly swung his arm down.
Whiish!
His sword split the bush with a faint sound of cutting air.
The two, who had said they were prepared but knew the enemy wasn’t supposed to be here yet, were startled by Seojun’s sudden action.
“Aack! What the!”
And from the bush, an enemy with a covered face screamed and jumped out.
Judging by the red nickname, it was an assassin from Sal-mak.
‘Since their movement speed is fast, they must have come ahead and been waiting.’
The enemy, with some of his health chipped away by Seojun’s sword, lamented.
“Damn, your eyes are fucking good. I usually don’t get caught, but this is unlucky.”
Sal-mak’s passive is stealth.
It makes you camouflaged if you stay still or move very slowly, but it doesn’t hide the terrain being affected by that movement.
For example, footprints or the trembling of grass.
So, if you know where the assassin is, catching that change is quite easy.
But catching it without knowing where they are is extremely difficult.
It’s impossible unless you pour all your nerves into your surroundings or are born with exceptional observation skills.
- He really is good at catching assassins.
- Sal-mak is a small company too, lol lol lol lol lol, got caught right away.
- Are your eyes really those of a bird?
The assassin stepped back.
“I’m out for now.”
The team members didn’t go to catch him.
Because if one chases him alone now and the enemy joins to fight many against one, it becomes disadvantageous, and if they chase him together, the wagon and goods left unguarded could be endangered by the enemies who flanked.
The viewer waved his hand.
“Sure. See you again soon.”
“In a few dozen seconds?”
“Hehe, exactly.”
The woman laughed.
Then she turned her head to Seojun beside her and said.
“But your eyes really are good…… Wait, where is that person going?”
Seojun, who had been beside her, had followed the assassin.
“Ah, right.”
“What?”
“Star Absorption Technique.”
“Huh? No, what……”
Listening to the fading voice, Seojun smiled.
“Can’t just let you run away. Right, everyone?”
He unfolded his movement technique.
Because of the faction trait, the enemy’s speed is faster, but the distance closed quickly because the enemy soon just started walking.
- Who said you can leave?
- Ah lol, once you start a fight, you have to kill the enemy.
- Truly a trait worthy of a psychopath.
- I think it suits the streamer.
Seojun approached quickly, and the enemy, sensing his presence, turned around.
“What are you? You’re following me? No, wait!”
Seojun surged forward, lowering his sword toward the enemy’s neck.
The flustered enemy barely lifted his sword, thinking he had blocked Seojun’s attack.
But that was an illusion.
The sword he lifted to block the attack didn’t even make contact.
Because Seojun, just before clashing as he flew in, had withdrawn his sword and landed beside him.
He had given a feint so he wouldn’t block annoyingly with his sword.
In terms fitting this game, it was a feint.
“You’re open.”
Sshhaak!
Seojun slashed the flank of the enemy, who was making a bewildered expression.
Perhaps because it was a strike imbued with internal energy, a lot of health was chipped away.
“Hey. Are you in your right mind? You chased me here?”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“It’s obvious…… Hah. If I just hold on a little, my teammates will be here. What are you going to do?”
What do you mean, what am I going to do?
Just then, a chat message matching his thoughts came up.
- Kill them all lol
* * *
Clank. Creak. Squeak.
The wagon made all sorts of noises as it slowly traveled along an unpaved road from about 700 years ago.
The escorts stood on strict guard.
“To see this with my own eyes! Ah, though not exactly with my own eyes.”
The viewer rubbed his nose.
“See what?”
“That’s the scene of a bus.”
“A bus?”
“Yes.”
“A bus? If he doesn’t come back as a corpse, we’ll be lucky.”
“Just shut up and ride.”
What’s he talking about.
“And why doesn’t that person take the trait that cancels Star Absorption when combat ends, making it like this? From the start, it seems a bit tough for two of us to block. Still, since we’re close to the start point, if we just hold on a little……”
As she naturally started thinking about the game’s direction afterward, a kill log floated up.
[Heavenly Demon 14 --> Dongdong]
She said calmly.
“Thankfully, he seems to have some skill. If it’s 2 versus 2, it’s doable.”
Even if the Heavenly Demon dies now, their start point is closer, so he’ll be able to join faster than the enemy assassin.
Even if not, she was confident she could win 2 versus 2.
“Ah, no, not at all.”
“What!”
“It’s not 2 versus 2, it’s 1 versus 3.”
“Why. Are you going to ditch the wagon and go too?”
The viewer, who was Seojun’s fan, shook his head.
“No. You’ll see when you watch. Anyway, it was worth sniping him. I was regretting switching to the Demonic Cult after watching the broadcast.”
“Wow. You came to the Demonic Cult following the streamer?”
“Yes.”
“Oh geez. What a nuisance.”
“If I were a real nuisance, wouldn’t I just ditch? If the win streak breaks, the magical girl…… Wait, why didn’t I think of that?”
“Huh? Magical girl? What’s that?”
“Heeheehee.”
An unsettling laugh was heard.
“With the streamer’s skill, he’ll win this even without me, right? I trust you!”
What’s that.
“Hey? Yes? Explain this to me.”
The viewer ignored her words and went into team chat.
[Streamer. How about 200,000 won if you win this game without me?]
[Sure.]
[But if you fail, show the Christina intimacy quest!]
[...]
[Alright.]
“What are you two doing?”
“It’s our own mission. Well, bye.”
“Huh?”
Smiling, his form suddenly vanished.
Only after seeing the chat that came up could she grasp what had happened.
[Hmm, you don’t really have to leave the game, do you?]
As the words said, looking at the team member list, one slot was empty.
“What a mess. Really.”
The sudden urge to switch factions was definitely not her fault.
“As soon as it’s over, I’m reporting him for sure.”