novelslam Chapter 147
Chapter 147
* * *
Northeast Asia League, China match.
Most people predicted China's victory.
No matter how strong Sung JiHan showed himself in the match against Russia, the Chinese national team was a perfect team ranked second in the world.
In a world where all professional sports have disappeared and all countries concentrate their resources on Battle.net, China has focused its population of 1.2 billion and the world's second largest economy to create the best national team in Asia.
[The Northeast Asia League begins.]
[The first match is at Southgate.]
China match, first map, Southgate.
= The game begins!
= The South Korean national team starts on the attacking side.
= They have set up a triangular formation in the Warrior camp. Sung JiHan is in the front!
= They trust Sung JiHan and are charging forward. This tactic is similar to the one used against Russia.
The strategy of the South Korean national team was simple.
Sung JiHan's all-in strategy.
Although it was a completely different strategy from the powerful archer lineup of the South Korean national team, they had no choice but to use it against China.
Because there was no chance of winning in long-range combat.
"Palgwae Overlap...."
The Chinese player on the wall reached out into the air.
Then, behind him, one of the patterns of the Palgwae appeared.
"Gon (坤) ☷."
Palgwae Overlap.
This was the SSS-grade gift possessed by the Chinese magician player, Je Gal-heon, which greatly enhanced the magic of the corresponding attribute depending on the drawn Palgwae.
Je Gal-heon, who laughed when he saw the pattern representing the earth, immediately used magic.
"Earthquake."
Kururur...
A powerful earthquake shook the South Korean base through the ground.
"Ah! Of all things, Gon was drawn!"
"This power is insane...!"
"Heal! I feel like I'm going to die!"
The camp was shaking right from the start of the game.
Players with low health were already in a state of death and were too busy ordering support mages to heal them.
And...
"The ground is split all the way down?"
"It's hard to charge even without this."
"Ha. Je Gal-heon, that crazy bastard...."
The ground in front of the gate was completely split, and there were very few places to step on.
It became an impossible situation for the entire Warrior team to charge.
"This time, you drew properly. Je Gal-heon."
Je Gal-heon, who was called the great magician of China.
With the gift of Palgwae Overlap, he was a player whose performance varied depending on the draw, with high and low points.
When he participated in the Space League as the representative of Earth, he always drew patterns that didn't match the situation, but today, he exploded with a great magic from the first spell.
"What should we do about this...?"
"Please maintain the formation so that the triangular formation effect is not broken."
"How can we charge in this situation?"
"But if we just stay here, we will be defeated."
Kim Dong-woo nodded at Sung JiHan's words.
When Je Gal-hyeon's Palgwae Overlap cooldown returns and he uses another super powerful magic...
It will become even more difficult for the South Korean national team to hold on.
"China matches were always like this...."
When there was the Sword King, they somehow managed to compete with his abilities.
But when the battlefield situation didn't unfold, they were helpless and suffered defeat from a distance.
The situation was the same now.
The South Korean national team had no choice but to charge forward, risking their lives.
"Let's go."
Sung JiHan flew with the Phoenix Wings and Eclipse in his hands.
As if there was no need for the ground, Sung JiHan soared through the air.
"He's so fast... Let's just maintain the formation!"
"Yes!"
Following Sung JiHan's orders, Kim Dong-woo encouraged the Warriors to advance, making sure the triangular formation was not broken.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
= China's national team... Only targeting Sung JiHan!
= They don't even look elsewhere!
The archer lineup, which was not much inferior to the South Korean national team.
In addition, a much stronger magician lineup all attacked Sung JiHan at once.
The attacks coming from all directions had the power to inflict fatal injuries one by one.
"I can't stop it with just spatial dominance."
Sung JiHan used martial arts.
Nameless Divine Skill
Shadow Secret Technique
Dark Soul Whirlpool
A massive shadow vortex unfolded, absorbing the attacks of the Chinese national team.
"Wow... He's blocking everything? Is that even possible?"
"It's like seeing the Sword King of the past."
"Is that really Goldrigger?"
In long-range combat, China was known as one of the top two in the world along with the United States.
They didn't expect their attacks to be completely blocked.
"It won't work. Target the others!"
"Disrupt the Triangular Formation!"
"He'll be taken care of by Iryong!"
First, let's get rid of the formation buffs.
The Chinese national team changed their targets to other warriors.
Bang! Bang!
Then the results were clearly different from before.
"Ah! Damn it...!"
"He's really strong!"
Warriors who were struggling to maintain their formation were falling one by one.
The already precarious Triangular Formation was on the verge of collapse.
Even the long-range class from Korea was trying to assist the warriors, but they couldn't match the firepower.
"As expected of China... They're strong!"
"It's too difficult to win against China in the Water State!"
"We need to hurry."
If they continued like this, they would be in a situation where they couldn't even fight back.
Sung JiHan, who had been adjusting his speed to maintain the formation, made a silent decision and increased his speed.
The Triangular Formation buff was already certain to disappear.
So he thought of fighting the enemy warriors before the effect completely disappeared.
Even if the formation was disrupted, the buff would still be maintained for a few tens of seconds.
And...
"Have you arrived? Shiju."
In front of the breached gate.
At the forefront, a bald man in a yellow robe stood with an awkward posture.
Shinseung Iryong. China's strongest warrior.
His two eyes flashed with a golden light.
"He even has the Golden Dragon's buff."
The Huanglong Summon used by the supporter with China's SSS-grade gift.
The golden eyes, a effect that can only be seen when the Huanglong strengthens only one person, were embedded in Iryong's eyes.
"Bae Pal Nah Han Jin."
As Iryong chanted the Bae Pal Nah Han Jin.
Even the eight warriors, excluding him, were shining with golden light.
"I will test Sung JiHan."
Flash! Flash!
The nine warriors, including Iryong, turned into light and disappeared.
The same light also flickered from Sung JiHan's body.
[Invited to the Bae Pal Nah Han Jin of Sori's.]
[The total level and ability of the opponent's nine players are lower than the total level of the nine players. You cannot resist the suppression of the formation.]
[Forced to enter the Bae Pal Nah Han Jin.]
Seeing the conditions for forced summoning, Sung JiHan let out a bitter smile.
No matter how strong his spirit was, how could he surpass the total level + ability of nine players at his current level?
"But, there are nine of them..."
When he fought as the representative of the United States, there were definitely 18 players.
Sung JiHan entered the Bae Pal Nah Han Jin with doubts in his mind.
* * *
"Huh. What's going on...! Bae Pal Nah Han Jin? Did China have something like this?"
"With the Bae Pal Nah Han Jin, another screen appeared on the broadcast!"
"Where is this...? It says Sori Temple here!"
Inside the Bae Pal Nah Han Jin.
This place was a completely separate map from the South Gate map.
In the massive hall with the name Sori Temple written on it, Iryong stood.
And in the vast open space below, over 100 warriors were surrounding Sung JiHan, forming a formation.
=To isolate a player completely! This is ridiculous...!
=Chinese players have also been summoned to the Baekpalna Hanjin. In terms of numbers, it's a trade of 9 Chinese players for 1 Sung JiHan!
Baekpalna Hanjin.
This formation, which is formed by a minimum of 9 players as the core, was clearly disadvantageous for Baekpalna Hanjin in terms of player exchange.
They caught one player, but the other 9 were tied up.
However...
=Ah! Considering that Sung JiHan is the center of South Korea's tactics, this trade is clearly a loss!
The situation was different for the South Korean national team.
In the current situation, where Sung JiHan is the only reliable player, it was advantageous for China if he was trapped with the 9 players.
"Before using the Sword King, I should test it. Siju."
Shin Seung Iryong smiled as if he had won everything and took out his sword.
Then...
Over 100 undefeated warriors simultaneously aimed their swords at Sung JiHan.
Unlike them, the other 8 warriors were keeping their distance from Sung JiHan and had their own equipment on.
"The head of the orthodox faction is Soryeom. With the orthodox skills, Soryeom cannot surpass the Shaolin."
Thud!
When Shin Seung inserted his sword into the ground...
A system message appeared in front of Sung JiHan.
[Baekpalna Hanjin specializes in orthodox skills.]
[The power of orthodox martial arts is limited.]
"So that's why you kept asking about the origin of martial arts."
Whether to use the orthodox, the unorthodox, or the demonic arts...
The reason he wanted to know the origin of martial arts was probably because of this.
Looking at the name of the unknown martial art, it seemed like he had specialized in the orthodox faction.
"I will begin the test!"
Swoosh.
As all the undefeated warriors aimed their swords at him, a surge of energy poured towards Sung JiHan from all directions.
The pressure increased as if the gravity had multiplied dozens of times, and the movement of his energy was restricted.
If it were an ordinary player, just standing here would have crushed their body, but...
"...Weaker than last time?"
Sung JiHan raised his head and smirked.
Compared to when he faced Baekpalna Hanjin as a member of the US national team, their power was much weaker.
"My level now should be similar to back then."
Thanks to his innate talent, Sung JiHan, who is currently at the Gold level, possesses a power similar to when he first started the martial arts class.
Based on his past experience, he thought it wouldn't be easy when the Hundred-Eight Armageddon unfolded.
However...
"Maybe because there are only nine members, the oppression is definitely weaker."
Compared to the Hundred-Eight Armageddon in his memory, the current one was much weaker, possibly due to the decrease in the number of members forming the formation.
And also...
"I can see all the players."
Unlike the one hundred members who all looked the same, there were eight players who were appealing that they were not monks.
This was also different from the previous Hundred-Eight Armageddon.
Back then, they were all similar-looking martial artists, but now the differences were clearly visible.
"First, I'll get rid of the players."
Sung JiHan rushed towards the player who was trying to distance themselves while holding Eclipse.
Shoo!
In response to Sung JiHan, the Soryeom martial artists simultaneously swung their staffs.
Each attack seemed stronger than the strike of a Diamond-ranked player.
It was possible because of the buff effect of the Hundred-Eight Armageddon.
However...
"Step aside."
[Understood, Master.]
The shadow of the martial artist rose from behind and transformed into a sword, piercing the heart of their master.
Thud!
"Kuk...! I'll come back... again!"
The impaled martial artist disappeared while uttering those words.
And as soon as they were processed as dead, the martial artists reappeared outside of Jin's perimeter.
The NPC-summoned martial artists respawned instantly even after being defeated.
"Back then, it was difficult to face even one martial artist due to the pressure from Jin... but now, with the weakened Hundred-Eight Armageddon, it's different."
With this much leeway, it seemed possible to use powerful martial arts.
The shadow forming Sung JiHan's Black Sword extended far.
Nameless Divine Art
Shadowy Divine Technique
Dark Shadow Ascension
Like a giant shadow soaring into the sky, the eclipse turned into a massive blackness in an instant.
"Uh..."
"Stop it!"
As the Chinese players who were fleeing in the distance shouted in horror, Sung JiHan swung his shadowy sword and all three Chinese players, including the NPC warrior, disappeared, locked inside the sword.
Swoosh!
But then, instead of immediately respawning like before, they appeared one by one with a time delay.
It was a phenomenon where the collapse of the Eight-Armed Golden Dragon revealed them.
"This... this crazy bastard...!"
Shin Seung Iryong's face contorted.
No, how could the Eight-Armed Golden Dragon still have such power to fight at full strength?
"I said I would use this bastard's martial arts...!"
He abandoned his formal tone and cursed, blaming the Chinese intelligence agency as he charged towards Sung JiHan.
"Daeryeok Geumgang Jang!"
A giant golden palm-shaped gust of wind flew towards Sung JiHan, but...
"Hey. Why is your power so weak?"
Sung JiHan calmly dodged the gust of wind and killed Iryong.
"Since three of you died, you became weaker. Is it enough to just kill the remaining players?"
"You... you bastard! Stop mocking me and fight me!"
"Don't want to? You're not dying, are you?"
"What... how did you...?"
When Iryong opened his eyes wide, Sung JiHan smirked.
"I suffered so much before regressing, of course I know."
Within the Eight-Armed Golden Dragon, Iryong was invincible.
No matter how much he was attacked, he wouldn't die, and his strength continued to increase as the leader of the Soryeom Bang.
Ignoring the invincible opponent, the strategy to conquer the Eight-Armed Golden Dragon was to kill the other players who formed the axis of the Jin.
"You must have had some faith in me to come at me. But you really don't die, huh?"
"This... this guy...! How dare you toy with me...!"
"The fault lies with the one who attacked. I'll go deal with the rest."
"Stay right there!"
Iryong followed Sung JiHan desperately, but no matter how much he was strengthened, he couldn't stop Sung JiHan with his martial arts.
"No. How can a guy like this...!"
Like a dog chasing a chicken on a roof.
Iryong could only helplessly watch as Sung JiHan killed the other players.
When the eighth player died like that,
"The axis of the Eight-Armed Golden Dragon has collapsed."
"The Eight-Armed Golden Dragon will be disbanded."
The first appearance of the Eight-Armed Golden Dragon in the world was helplessly disbanded.
And then.
"Now I'll kill you."
As all eight players fell.
Sung JiHan, who was left alone, looked at the resurrected Iryong at South Gate and smiled.
Shaaaak!
The sword beheaded Iryong.
"Cheolhyeol Shipja."
One after another, he swept away the remaining Chinese warriors.
"Sung JiHan!"
"The Eight-Armed Golden Dragon has been disbanded!"
"The representative team came just before they were completely wiped out!"
"He survived alone and completely slaughtered the Chinese warrior team!"
The game that seemed to end with Sung JiHan's disappearance and Korea's defeat.
He single-handedly grabbed the Korean representative team by the neck and pulled them up.
"South Korea wins the first game!"
"I can't believe it! How can one player have such power...!"
"The atmosphere in the Chinese representative team is gloomy!"
"That's right. We had already won! There are less than 30 survivors in the Korean representative team! They were completely overwhelmed in the firepower battle!"
"Ah. The Chinese representative team has requested a timeout! The next game will be delayed by 20 minutes!"
"What are they trying to do...?"
The Chinese representative team's 20-minute timeout request.
After that, there were noticeable changes in the two games that unfolded.
"The Chinese representative team. The player lineup hasn't changed... huh?!"
"What?! All the Chinese warriors shaved their heads!"