Guild Battle (1)

"Divine Bow, you say... Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Guild Master Kim Minwoo! Now, is there an epithet you'd like to give Awakener Park Siwoo over there?"

"An epithet? I don't even have one yet."

"Ah, even epithets have to go in order of seniority? Come to think of it, you don't have one yet, do you? Here's hoping you earn a fantastic one today. Now, would both Guild Masters please declare the guild battle!"

[‘Guild Battle’ is activated!]

[Ilseong Guild will face Money-Blowing Guild!]

[Please configure the detailed conditions!]

There was a setting that had become the unwritten standard for public guild battles: Shield Battle mode.

[‘Shield Battle’ has been selected!]

[‘Body Shields’ will be provided!]

[You will automatically be removed from the match when your shield is destroyed.]

The effects were simple. Each participant received a shield equal to their health. Once it broke, they were out.

There were plenty of advantages. For one, with the System in charge, no one would lose their life. Even if an attack was powerful enough to pierce the shield, the participant's body would be transported out of the arena the instant it shattered, preventing any accidents.

After all, they weren't about to behead and kill each other in a guild battle before two hundred thousand spectators and all the broadcasting networks. You hardly ever saw that even in unofficial guild battles.

'Even with shields, it's close to real combat.'

The shields covered their entire bodies, but how quickly they wore down varied enormously depending on which body part was struck. A hit to a vital spot, for instance, depleted the shield much faster.

An arrow between the eyes counted as an instant kill, no matter how large the shield was. Of course, that could change if you countered with a skill, blocked the attack, or put up a defensive barrier.

In any case, with the System administering the match, there was no room for unfairness. The only real difference from actual combat was that no one would die.

Minwoo returned to the other two and found Seo Yerim staring straight at him.

"... Divine Bow? How could you say that? Talk about pressure."

"Isn't Divine Bow better than Bow Phoenix?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"There's no need to feel pressured. With your skills, Yerim, you more than deserve an epithet like that."

What he'd seen in the Land of Giants had convinced him. It wasn't just her weapon that deserved the name Divine Bow. Her skill did, too. That was why he intended to use this opportunity to raise her profile.

Honestly, she was the only seasoned awakener in Money-Blowing Guild.

'She's also the only one who merits an epithet.'

Epithets were essentially titles given to veterans who had spent years in the thick of the awakener world. That was also why neither Park Siwoo nor Minwoo had one yet. It took time, not just fame.

[The guild battle begins in 1 minute.]

[Relocating participants.]

They were transported to opposite ends of the arena, where the two guilds began preparing for the coming battle.

* * *

The three major broadcasting networks had brought their leading commentators together to cover this guild battle. Choi Yongjun, who had just interviewed the two Guild Masters, delivered the opening remarks.

"Hello, viewers. I'm your play-by-play announcer, Choi Yongjun. I'm really looking forward to this guild battle. Money-Blowing Guild, in particular, has been building some incredible momentum!"

"Absolutely. When the news first broke, a lot of people called it a reckless challenge. Frankly, even we commentators thought they might be moving too hastily. But things are different now, and the opinion polls reflect that."

"Fifty-fifty odds. That's how impressive their performance in the Land of Giants was. They tore through it like a storm."

—For real lol.

—They really were a storm lol.

—Agreed, this matchup's gonna be fun as hell.

Countless comments streamed through the live broadcast on NewTube. Twenty-five million viewers were watching live.

That was an astonishing number, considering it normally took a battle between world-class, top-tier guilds to draw a crowd like that. It meant the whole world, not just Korea, was watching this match. Money-Blowing Guild's performances had been that insane.

Choi Yongjun nodded at the other two commentators' remarks before speaking.

"And we have another talking point now. What's Guild Master Nam Cheolmin's epithet? The Ghost Archer, of course!"

"That's right. He earned it because his skill with a bow is positively uncanny. He's not Korea's number-one archer for nothing."

"Yet we've heard a guarantee that Seo Yerim will take that top spot today. What do you two think?"

"Hmm... Seo Yerim wouldn't have changed classes for no reason. She must have a talent for archery. But is it enough to threaten Guild Master Nam Cheolmin's dominance? I'm not so sure."

"I agree. Divine Bow? Perhaps she'll earn that epithet someday. But just one month after changing classes? Honestly, I can't imagine what she'd have to show us to deserve it."

—Fair point. Isn't Divine Bow a higher epithet than Ghost Archer, honestly?

—Yeah. A god beats a ghost lol.

—She spent almost seven years earning Sword Phoenix. Now she's supposed to be a god, not a phoenix? Hmm... Is she really that good?

—Lol, but if Kim Minwoo's that confident, there must be something to it.

—Maybe he's playing the long game. Could be putting a cool epithet out there for later, even if she doesn't earn it now.

"Ah, as we speak, both guilds have moved to opposite ends of the arena. Ilseong Guild is starting off its preparation time by applying buffs."

"Buffs! They're crucial. And what's Ilseong known for? Money! They've got plenty of the key classes needed for buffing."

"That's right. We're seeing all sorts of buffs: the shaman's Ancestral Totem, the paladin's Radiant Light, the priest's Prayer of Blessing, the druid's Bear's Might, the warlock's Soul Enhancement, and more."

On the live broadcast, brilliant clusters of light poured over the Ilseong Guild members. Those buffs must have raised their stats by at least fifty percent. That was the power of a guild with a well-rounded lineup.

"Now let's look at Money-Blowing Guild. As expected, Guild Master Kim Minwoo is bringing out his undead forces. Huh? What's that?"

A hovering camera zoomed in. The enlarged image showed a woman standing beside Kim Minwoo beneath a parasol.

"She looks rather special, doesn't she? She looks... human, rather than undead?"

"But she can't be a person. Money-Blowing Guild only has three participants. Which means she's a summon..."

—What's this? He got another one besides Cedric?

—Aren't undead stronger the more human they look?

—Yeah. Usually, the more of their living appearance they retain, the stronger they are. Liches and death knights have flesh on their bones too lol.

—One look at that face tells me everything lol. Bet she's crazy strong lol.

—Wait, is she why he challenged them to a guild battle?

Just then, the woman staring at the camera smiled and waved.

—I'm smiling without even realizing it lol.

—Ahhh lmaooo.

"While we've been talking, we're down to ten seconds before the match! Ah, Guild Master Nam Cheolmin is starting to draw his bow!"

"Judging by where he's aiming, he's clearly going for Guild Master Kim Minwoo!"

"What's the scariest class in the world? An archer waaaay off in the distance! This arena is huge, and a skilled archer can hit you from much farther away than magic can!"

"Exactly. What good does it do a necromancer to summon all these different creatures? If the summoner goes down, the summons inevitably go down too!"

"The Ghost Archer is making a statement! I'm shooting that guy. Stop me if you can!"

Nam Cheolmin, the Ghost Archer, was openly taunting his opponents.

But the arena was enormous, and Nam Cheolmin's effective range covered all of it. On top of that, he was the Ghost Archer, with an uncanny mastery of the bow.

He was certain to unleash a hail of arrows right from the start, backed by stats pumped up by his guildmates' buffs. There was a limit to how much the summons could block. Someone of the Ghost Archer's caliber would easily find gaps to shoot through.

To stop that...

The live broadcast switched to a split screen, with Nam Cheolmin on one side and Seo Yerim on the other. An ornate bow rested in her hand.

"What a magnificent bow. That's a skill, isn't it?"

"Yes. As I understand it, she received a weapon-summoning achievement skill, much like Awakener Park Siwoo."

"There have been rumors about Yerim, actually. Apparently, she sparred with the Sword Immortal."

"How did it go?"

"It's been kept quiet, so I don't know the details, but they said it was impressive. Of course, that's just talk floating around online, so it's not entirely reliable."

"Ah! As we speak, Seo Yerim is also drawing her bow!"

A lustrous mana arrow formed on her bowstring.

"The guild battle begins!"

"Guild Master Nam Cheolmin is firing dozens of arrows too fast to see!"

"Rapid Fire! That's Guild Master Nam Cheolmin's S-rank achievement skill! It's a truly terrifying skill! He fires arrows at an absolutely insane speed before you even know what's happening!"

"Rapid Fire is Nam Cheolmin's trademark! It's in the official records! The Ghost Archer can fire a hundred arrows in three seconds!"

"And now he's buffed, too! A hundred? No! We could be looking at two hundred!"

Arrows packed the sky, arcing toward the exact spot where Kim Minwoo stood.

And that wasn't the end of them. Nam Cheolmin kept activating Rapid Fire, loosing arrow after arrow.

WHOOSH!

The mana-charged arrows hurtled toward him at a terrifying speed. But... far from moving, Kim Minwoo simply looked up at the swarm of arrows in perfect composure.

"Huh? Guild Master Kim Minwoo isn't dodging?"

"His summons aren't moving either! Could he be... relying on Awakener Seo Yerim? Bow Phoenix is drawing her bow right now!"

"There must be over five hundred arrows up there! There's hardly any time left! Arrows move much faster when they're falling!"

"How is she supposed to knock all those down with arrows?!"

Just then, Kim Minwoo and Seo Yerim met each other's eyes. He smiled and nodded.

She recalled what he had said before the match.

["Turn everything on its head. Really show them."]

Show them who the real archer was.

The stage was set. Perfectly set. At this point, backing out would be foolish.

'That skill he used looked pretty good.'

Archers had excellent vision. Even from opposite ends of the arena, she could see every move Nam Cheolmin made.

He had certainly fired at an incredible speed. Those standardized movements meant it was a skill.

Seo Yerim copied Nam Cheolmin's movements exactly. At that instant...

[Overwhelming talent replicates a skill!]

[A new skill is created!]

[Skill, Rapid Fire (S), has been created!]

The skill formed, and Seo Yerim's hands began moving at tremendous speed.

Her mana arrows formed automatically. With no need to reach into a quiver, she could draw and shoot twice as fast as Nam Cheolmin.

The commentators were stunned.

"... Huh?"

"What?"

"Isn't that Rapid Fire?"

"... She copied his skill?"

She was firing far more arrows than Nam Cheolmin. A moment later, hers collided with his as they descended from the sky.

"H-holy shit...!"

"All the Ghost Archer's arrows... have been knocked off course! They're falling helplessly to the ground!"

The arrows barely clipped one another at their edges, robbing the Ghost Archer's shots of their force and sending them tumbling to the ground. Seo Yerim's arrows, however, were different. Despite the collisions, they continued to climb as if nothing had happened. The mana arrows were heading straight for Nam Cheolmin.

Knocking arrows aside with arrows. That alone was a feat worthy of a world-ranked awakener, but on top of that...

"Sh-she's kept every one of her arrows in play while rendering all of the Ghost Archer's useless. I-is that even possible?"

"I-it is, technically. If you calculate the trajectories precisely from the moment you shoot... But... she actually did it? There are so many variables to consider!"

"Holy shit..."

The commentators swallowed hard.

Divine Bow.

That was the epithet that sprang to mind.