(Three Quads. Sword Emperor.)
He dashed quickly through the thorny undergrowth.
His old robe, torn and tattered, was now nothing more than rags, and small wounds kept adding up as he got scratched and pierced from all directions.
But he couldn't afford to stop.
— Ka-kak, shoot!
Just a brief pause like this, and arrows would come flying with eerie precision.
A red line appeared across his thigh as an arrow grazed him, blood welling along the cut.
He couldn't just keep taking hits.
The moment he loosed his returning arrow with well-practiced motion, he could feel the opponent's surprised breathing.
The distance between them was no more than fifty meters.
Thanks to the dense thorns, they couldn't see each other, but their hearing was so attuned that they could pick up even the smallest breath.
At this range, trading arrows meant they were constantly on the move.
If you stood still and tried to react, you'd already be too late.
Seowoon furrowed his brow and backed off.
Kaier Barrier.
The arrow coming at him was slower than usual, but it carried an ominous energy—damn thing.
Sure enough, it crawled its way toward him and exploded right in front of his face.
He retreated, brushing aside the thorny undergrowth, and pain rushed in as his robe tore and thorns stuck into his back. But Seowoon crossed his arms and concentrated inner power to brace against the blast.
— KWAANG!
Beeeeep—
His ears rang from the explosion as he crashed through the thorns. But he rolled quickly and sprang to his feet.
As expected, two more arrows flew toward where he had fallen.
Not bothering to recover the embedded arrows, he sprinted forward and nocked another onto Tong-a.
This is it.
His opponent had arrows he didn't—explosive, wind-bladed, repulsion-force arrows.
Arrows that curved unpredictably, taking bizarre trajectories.
But in this damned forest, that trick didn't work on him. Wildly veering arrows were useless here.
What remained was that arrow imbued with an unknown force.
Whenever the opponent fired one of those, he always took a long pause before using a similar arrow again.
So Seowoon charged at him.
He just fired two arrows in succession.
He saw a shadow moving between the vines in the distance.
Almost fired instinctively, but managed to stop himself.
Not yet.
He had to strike at the precise moment—when the opponent showed an unavoidable opening.
That moment would be the kill shot.
— SHEEEEK!
Instead of an arrow, a long bolt flew toward him, almost as if to say "Don't come any closer."
But after so many close-range sniper duels with return arrows, this long bolt looked like it was moving in slow motion.
He tilted his head slightly and dodged. More long bolts rapidly followed, but he evaded them all.
Only 20 meters left.
While the opponent kept stepping back and shooting, Seowoon's pace was faster.
Just as Seowoon's eyes lit up—
— KWAANG!
"Hyung! There's a strong enemy! Be careful! He's no joke!"
A loud boom echoed as Ki-chan's voice rang in through the team channel.
At that same moment, Seowoon and his opponent were aiming their bows at each other at point-blank range.
The enemy's face flickered with uncertainty, as if he too had received a report.
They had been aiming at each other for about five seconds now, their faces and legs obscured by the thorns.
"You've changed a lot. You were strong before... but now you're like a different person. Facing me in a bow duel like this."
Their faces weren't visible, but they both knew each other well.
"I've been practicing—just to stick an arrow right into your forehead."
"I thought I'd learned a secret art. Never imagined you'd master the same skill. I heard it was the lost weapon of a fallen kingdom—thought it was unique."
"Return arrows? I'm the descendant of that fallen kingdom. My people are known for being natural-born archers."
"That explains it. I always thought your coin prices were suspiciously low."
As his words ended, the enemy let go of his bowstring.
At the same moment, so did Seowoon.
Their arrows collided midair, deflecting each other wildly off-course.
"This is it, then."
A strong presence was quickly approaching from nearby.
Seowoon nodded, but added one last thing.
"The next time we meet, I'm not letting you go. I'll plant an arrow right between your eyes."
Though he couldn't see his face, Seowoon had a strange feeling the guy was smiling.
They turned their backs and walked away in opposite directions.
"Where are you?! Are you okay?!"
"Hyung! Just fall back! Get as far away from this place as—"
— KUGUNG!
The team voice cut off as the ground trembled not far away.
Seowoon, charging toward the source, looked eerily similar to the madman he had just fought.
Leaning forward, face extended like he was about to pass his own chin, arms trailing behind him.
His face was getting scraped by the thorns, leaving shallow cuts, but he didn't care. His eyes were locked on a single spot.
"Lyle! Run!"
"No!"
— KANG! CLANG!
Lyle bit down hard and pushed forward, even as his Iron Barrier shattered in one swing of a long, silver blade.
The thorny undergrowth that had once choked the area was now smashed and scattered all over the ground—clear evidence of a fierce battle.
Where thornbush had once grown thickly, there was now an open area.
In that clearing, Ki-chan and Lyle faced off against a knight clad in black armor wielding a longsword.
Unlike the bulky, slow-looking knights in thick metal armor, this one wore compact gear, had a slim build, and a full round helmet that covered his entire face.
He simply held his sword to the side and watched the two.
Hyung! Please don't come here.
Ignoring Seowoon's continued messages, Ki-chan focused entirely on the enemy before him.
Lyle, the stubborn idiot, couldn't be helped—but he had to buy time for Seowoon to escape.
He pulled a small glass vial from his subspace.
The knight simply watched, showing no reaction.
Ki-chan drank the potion.
His pupils dilated, and he felt the circle in his heart pulse.
His heart raced. His thoughts sharpened.
His nerves awakened, and he could feel mana pulsing everywhere.
Awakening potion.
A wizard's equivalent of caffeine—but way stronger.
Electric magic sparked along his staff as his specialty activated. In his other hand, a fireball began to form.
That's when the knight moved.
— TATAT!
In a split second, the knight hit top speed and slashed at Ki-chan.
— KADUK! SPARK!
Ki-chan barely managed to block with his staff, and sparks cascaded down the knight's armor—but the knight didn't flinch.
Instead, he shattered Ki-chan's staff and sent him flying.
As Ki-chan flew backward, he hurled the fireball while Lyle threw up a shield.
Ki-chan closed his eyes.
This is the end.
The enemy was far too strong. Seowoon had never imagined he'd run into a Sword Emperor in a game like this.
— Kakang!
The sharp sound of metal made Ki-chan open his eyes.
— Clang!
And then, a man stepped into view—wearing a tattered robe, his face full of scratches. For some reason, seeing him made Ki-chan feel relieved.
Even in his heightened, overstimulated state from the Awakening Potion, the sense of safety he felt brought a smile to his face.
"I told you to run far away."
"You guys didn't listen to me either."
Since joining the Cloyd Survival Game, Seowoon had met many people—cycled through many teammates—but had there ever been someone he trusted like this?
A man who, when in danger, made you throw away logic and rush into the fire.
A man who made you want to give your life just to save his.
A man you could rely on, lean on, and who gave you hope instead of despair.
Ki-chan clutched his broken wrist along with the shattered staff and stood up.
Beside him, Lyle was already casting Heal, diligently mending his wrist.
Seowoon, without looking away from the enemy, asked, "What is that thing? It's nothing like the knights I know."
"That's a Sword Emperor. Most likely."
Sword Emperor? Sounds like a sword master of some kind.
— Sword Emperor. A title for those who stand at the peak of the sword. Knights usually start with light armor, then train until they can wear heavy plate and protect allies. Eventually, they reach a level where they no longer need heavy gear and can defend with just a sword. At that point, they return to lighter, more agile armor. The one standing before us is a knight at the very end of that path. —
Seowoon thought it sounded unnecessarily complicated but didn't argue with Hammit's earnest explanation.
He already knew how powerful the enemy was—just one clash had been enough to feel it in his bones.
A surprise attack that would've been fatal against a normal enemy had barely scratched this one.
He'd simply redirected his sword mid-swing and twisted his body to avoid a fatal hit.
Now, standing with his blade pointed at Seowoon, the knight's overwhelming presence was almost suffocating—like facing that lunatic, Gwanggun.
And what radiated from him wasn't inner energy or mana—it was something alien.
— Fwoooosh!
The knight's blade ignited in crimson flame, distorting his figure in a shimmer of heat.
"Hoo."
Seowoon exhaled slowly, then crossed his arms into the bizarre posture of Bloodbone Claw. At that moment, the knight charged.
— Fwoosh!
Such a direct slash. But within that simplicity was an immense power.
You could tell this was a movement refined through tens of thousands, if not millions, of repetitions.
Which meant it couldn't be dodged or blocked lightly.
It was a simple strike—but its strength carried the elegance of sheer mastery.
Seowoon barely twisted out of the way, wincing. Even just being close to the flames made his body sear with heat.
He poured inner energy into his fingers. The knight adjusted the trajectory and swept sideways.
Does this guy not understand physics?
To swing down full force with both hands and still change direction like that—something felt off.
At the same time, Seowoon retreated.
Since learning Fist of Nothingness, he had never backed away in close combat.
— Grit!
He clenched his teeth and launched a kick at the knight mid-swing.
— Kang!
The knight flinched—his expression finally breaking—as Seowoon blocked the sword with his bare hands.
— Ka-kakang! Kkang! Kkang!
Their furious exchange continued with no room to breathe. And Seowoon's focus sharpened with each clash.
Each of the knight's strikes could be fatal—there was no room for a single mistake.
— Swoooo!
Ki-chan, having finished healing, fired Ice Snake at the knight.
Seeing the flaming sword, Ki-chan and Lyle had agreed to use only ice magic to support Seowoon.
— Splat!
The knight sliced clean through the massive serpent heading for him and kept swinging at Seowoon—his movements seamless.
As the snake collapsed, cold air spread over them—but it quickly turned into steam under the knight's heat.
In the midst of the swirling cold and steam, the red-hot blade danced like a lightsaber through the mist.
And there was Seowoon, blocking it with only his bare hands.
Damn it!
Ki-chan felt disgusted with himself.
All the training in the mountains, all the time he'd spent helping Seowoon in the real world—he'd thought their relationship was one of mutual growth.
Now it just felt delusional.
He clenched his fist in frustration.
What have I even been doing?!
It wasn't like Seowoon had hoarded all the items.
In fact, he had shared many with Ki-chan.
Then why is the gap this huge?!
Even in the face of insurmountable opponents, Seowoon charged in without hesitation—overcame them—and grew stronger each time.
Meanwhile, Ki-chan's first instinct had always been to run.
And that made sense—it was a survival game.
You didn't have to be strong to win. You just had to survive. And the game rewarded that survival.
But now...
Why is the gap only getting wider...
Mana surged around Ki-chan's clenched fist.
Noticing the storm of emotion in him, Lyle watched with concern.
Then Ki-chan spoke.
"Soon, they'll split. When that happens, we pour everything into one strike."
It sounded less like a strategy and more like a personal declaration.
Lyle nodded, cheeks puffed slightly with baby fat.
— Kakang!
Just when Seowoon felt he was getting used to the knight's sword, he stepped in a half-pace further.
Half a step closer...
Just enough to bring Seowoon into his own striking range.
A powerful slash came from the side, trying to shove him away.
But Seowoon twisted into a counter-grappling flow and redirected the blow—then caught the blade barehanded.
— GRIP!
The knight tried to pull it free, startled, but Seowoon held firm and pushed forward another half-step.
The knight retreated sharply and pulled back his sword—blood sprayed from Seowoon's hand as Hammit's cloth binding was sliced open.
I lost the blade—but I'm not giving up the distance!
"Now!"
As the knight staggered back, a Fire Burst and Earth Strike exploded against his back.
The blast knocked him off balance, and before he could retreat, Seowoon's next attack surged forward.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]