Chapter 92

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 92: Ant Hell (4)

‘Six… in an instant.’

From One to Seven, they all felt a chill down their spines. They were assigned numbers in the order they entered. Accordingly, Six’s level was a bit on the lower side.

However, even considering that, it was too quick for him to be overwhelmed. He rushed in first, only to be torn to pieces without achieving anything.

‘We’ve been deceived!’

A warning bell rang in their heads.

Kim Minwoo’s hand-to-hand combat wasn’t what they thought it would be. At most, they could only compare him to Cho Pilwook.

He might have fought a bit better there.

Even so, he didn’t surpass that benchmark completely; he just barely met that line.

‘That doesn’t make sense.’

With that level, Six should have endured at least twenty hits.

But he died after just one hit.

Even with Cedric and that strange woman’s help.

Fundamentally, it meant that Kim Minwoo’s swordsmanship was beyond imagination.

‘It’s like he read his movements.’

He just toyed with him.

That was the only conclusion they could draw.

Han Baekgil’s mind spun rapidly.

‘Can we win this?’

Although Wi Rungkang drank a potion, his mana was tangled and sputtering.

Even if they tried to use magic, it would be meaningless again if that witch interfered. With Six and Wi Rungkang out of action, there were only eight S-rank awakeneds left.

‘And Light attribute artifacts are also useless.’

Is that all?

Why are such pathetic skeleton-like summons so strong? It felt like they were very well-trained regular soldiers.

Arranging themselves in formation like they were strategizing against a formidable monster, the skeleton horde gradually tightened their encirclement.

They blocked with shields and, from behind, threw nets.

Intermittently, they skillfully thrust spears to bind their ankles.

Are these the summoned creatures acting as meat shields?

‘’Catching them isn’t the problem, but…’

The real issue was the time they were consuming because of these summoned creatures.

It all boiled down to stamina and mana.

Although they drank potions, the consumption was becoming unbearable.

Even the spells the mages gathered to cast were incredibly demanding.

Despite being S-rank awakeneds, they were affected by trivial curses that narrowed their field of vision.

The massive golem continued to withstand attack after attack, relentlessly.

“Boss!’

“What are we going to do?”

Desperate inquiries from the S-rank awakeneds.

They too were feeling the disadvantage keenly.

These seemingly insignificant summoned creatures were intelligent.

Light attacks were ineffective.

Kim Minwoo’s swordsmanship skill was beyond imagination.

And to top it off, a strange woman emerged, unleashing all sorts of high-level magic.

They thought they had prepared thoroughly and made bold decisions.

‘I was complacent.’

In the end, he was just complacent.

Kim Minwoo.

He was hiding far more than they had anticipated.

To hunt this guy down, they would need more than just the Korean branch; they would have to mobilize from the headquarters of the Shadow Alliance.

There were only two options left.

Either endure the sacrifice and retreat, or…

If not, then charge into the midst of the undead and kill Kim Minwoo.

The problem was that fear was beginning to be instilled in the eyes of the S-rank awakeneds.

Everyone was supposed to charge in with all their might and catch him, but they were now panicking?

‘This won’t work.’

A scared pack of wolves rushing at a lion would achieve nothing.

Once one or two wolves were killed, the rest would whimper and flee.

That was the situation now.

If a couple more died, they would all start fleeing.

As long as they reached the middle zone, they could at least survive.

But then, the damage would be irreparable, beyond what could be described as mere sacrifice.

“We’re retreating!”

Han Baekgil shouted as if chewing the words.

“We’re abandoning Korea.”

They would seek refuge in the headquarters and warn them of his danger.

He wasn’t just a seedling which would shake up Korea; he was a monster that would shake the world.

‘At least there’s some merit.’

They realized how extraordinary Kim Minwoo’s undead were.

That mere skeletons could use strategies and formulate proper magic. That those summoned in the thousands had learning abilities?

The ramifications would be beyond imagination.

They would start being wary, starting from the United States.

Even he didn’t know where his limit was, and the loss of a few S-rank Awakened was nothing compared to what they had discovered.

‘Anyway, we can easily replace those guys.’

With their fast leveling up, it was possible.

The S-rank awakeneds rushed out desperately. In the midst of it, magic flew, entangling their feet.

Five and Seven.

They were relatively less skilled individuals.

The rest of the group, upon seeing this, actually breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, that worked out.”

“At least we bought some time.”

From the start, the Shadow wasn’t a tightly knit group bound by camaraderie. There was barely an ounce of desire to rescue each other.

No, quite the opposite.

Swoosh!

They cut the legs of the trainees who were running alongside them.

“Ouch!”

“Why, why would you!”

Han Baekgil and the core members rushed forward with numb eyes.

Five and Seven.

And the rest of the trainees.

They were sacrificial lambs.

Bound and crippled, they would do their best to buy time.

In the meantime, they had to find the middle zone quickly.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

* * *

Five and Seven.

Plus the remaining three trainees.

There were only three left to activate, but the sacrifices they had thrown were more like five.

Five and Seven.

He looked at the two of them first.

He could see them struggling to undo the magic.

‘It won’t unravel that easily, if it did, would it be an SS-rank spell?’

Unlike Six, they had to hold on for a while longer, so they were still bound with SS-rank magic. At least ten seconds more and they would be released.

Kim Minwoo, Cedric, and Dolsoe were all there, clinging to them.

Those two S-rank awakeneds were devoured in an instant, without even putting up any resistance.

‘They seem even weaker than before.’

They were the same people from his past memories.

Despite their higher levels, their skills weren’t particularly impressive.

It makes you wonder if they relied on leveling up through an experience copying bug.

Regardless.

Hunting these empty S-rank vessels was easier for Kim Minwoo than swatting flies. With Merhen, Cedric, and Dolsoe present, it was even easier now.

[Your level has increased by 3!]

[Your level has increased by 2!]

His levels skyrocketed with each kill.

The dropped items were just a bonus.

Naturally, he looted everything into his inventories.

‘I must have earned over 300 billion already.’

As high-rank awakeneds, their equipment was top-notch. While they didn’t have any extraordinary items, they had decent gear covering their entire bodies.

The price tag on those items alone would be substantial.

“P-please spare us…”

The trainees looked at them in terror.

Their eyes, once filled with determination during the initial attack, were now devoid of it.

Kim Minwoo smirked as he looked at them.

“No need to feel wronged. They’ll soon follow you.”

He revealed everything to them.

The most perfect way to keep a secret is to kill every witness.

Just like this.

Thud!

The necks of the three were swiftly severed.

[You have hunted a total of thirteen!]

[A hidden Piece is revealed!]

[The map is changing!]

[Entering the ‘One-Way’ map!]

Roar…!

The stage of the gate began to change. A straight line path appeared high up in the air.

Kim Minwoo stood at one end of it.

And precisely on the opposite side stood the members of the Shadow.

In the center, a square stage resembling a stadium was formed.

“What, what’s going on!”

“Why did the map suddenly…?”

“Good grief, it’s a hidden piece!”

Han Baekgil and his companions were dumbfounded by the stage that had suddenly flipped. The path was now only in one straight direction.

Next to it was a pitch-black abyss.

It was clear that falling would be disastrous without even needing to see it.

[Someone has met the conditions and changed the map!]

[The ‘One-Way’ begins.]

[The ‘Rules’ are given.]

[You are the ‘Predator’.]

[Move to the middle and wait for the prey, then kill them all!]

[The more desperate the enemy, the more ‘Demon Points’ you accumulate!]

[When you hunt all the prey, a demon will appear as a reward based on your points!]

Kim Minwoo received such messages.

[You are the ‘Prey’!]

[Through a vote, you can choose a colleague to face the predator first.]

[The chosen colleague will move to the center to face the predator!]

[If you fall off the cliff on either side of the path, you will die.]

Such messages came to the Shadow.

‘…This is insane.’

Han Baekgil’s face hardened as he read the contents.

This was essentially asking them to go one by one and sacrifice themselves.

“This is ridiculous!”

“Nonsense!”

Flustered, Three and Four tried to move forward. However, as they took a step forward, it felt like they hit a solid wall, preventing them from advancing any further.

[Only one person chosen by vote can move!]

[The first vote will last for 1 minute.]

[Please choose the prey for the first challenge.]

Cold sweat started to trickle down everyone’s foreheads.

* * *

One-way.

The conditions were simple.

One predator and one prey would come from each side of the path.

And they would face off in the middle.

‘Wicked.’

Even the conditions were like that.

If he could capture ten initially, it meant he could capture all the remaining ones as well.

But on the side of being captured, they wouldn’t even have the chance to fight back.

Only one could come to the center through the vote.

And there was no middle ground on this map.

‘It was originally set up as…….’

It was a stage crafted for the amusement of demons.

A stage made for the weak to sacrifice each other through votes, and to witness slaughter.

Especially the way demon points were accumulated was brutal.

The more despair the enemy fell into, the more points you gained.

If you amassed the most points, a high-ranked demon would appear to reward you.

‘Afterward, it goes back to the structure of the demon’s castle map.’

That’s why.

‘It’s actually better this way.’

It’s not like they were just ordinary awakened caught up together.

They came here with the clear intent to kill from the start.

There’s no reason to show mercy.

He can enjoy hunting them one by one and they can witness each other’s demise.

For Kim Minwoo, it’s the ultimate playground.

‘And get some rewards along the way.’

It’s killing two birds with one stone.

In the distance, the members of the Shadow were bellowing loudly.

From the start, it was a situation where they couldn’t even think of fighting him and had to run away.

Going alone in that situation?

It’s as good as saying “just die.”

So, it’s natural to resist not being chosen.

“Han Baekgil, that bastard!”

Broken Korean words burst out.

It seemed like the first sacrificial lamb had been chosen.

The Chinese S-rank mage, Wi Rungkang.

He was cursing loudly, but unfortunately, swearing didn’t reduce the votes.

With everyone’s overwhelming support,

Wi Rungkang was chosen.

‘He’s probably just trying to buy time.’

Is there anything more useless than a mage who can’t use magic?

Unfortunately, on this stage, Wi Rungkang was that mage.

Soon, he was summoned to the center.

[The first prey is participating!]

[After 5 seconds, the battle will begin! Get ready!]

Wi Rungkang desperately casting spells.

Unfortunately, Merhen, who was summoned nearby, was staring at him intently.

―Still, so simple-minded?

Wi Rungkang was sweating profusely.

His teeth chattered.

“No… no.”

Wait.

This time, it wasn’t a major explosion spell.

During the preparation time, he had cast numerous attack spells. Even if she was a witch, she couldn’t easily thwart them like before.

He had to make it happen.

Or else…

[The battle begins!]

Before he could unleash his magic…

—Idiot.

[The casting of Earth Restraint (S) is canceled!]

[The casting of Flame Breath (A)…]

[The casting of Tidal Summoning (A)…]

[The casting of Wind Hook (B)…]

.

.

“Ah.”

Soon after, his arms and legs were all severed.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]