Dragon and Phoenix Gathering (3)

[The detailed rules will now be explained.]

[Please consult the 'Map' above.]

[You are marked by a red circle.]

In the upper-right corner, he saw a map resembling a minimap, complete with a red circle.

[Points: 1]

His points were displayed as well.

[When you kill an opponent, all of their points will be transferred to you.]

[All stats increase by 10% per point.]

[The more points you have, the greater the chance that your location will appear on your opponents' maps.]

[At regular intervals, certain areas will become unsurvivable zones. These will be marked on the map.]

[Rankings will be calculated and displayed every 30 minutes.]

[Good luck.]

"Interesting."

The rules were downright malicious. The more people you killed, the stronger you became, but that also meant your location would be revealed more often, increasing the risk of getting ganged up on.

'But...'

Racking up points might not be as dangerous as it sounded.

Because the candidates were weak?

No. These were thirty of Murim's finest. If even five of them attacked together, he couldn't confidently guarantee a win.

But...

'The rules will hold them back.'

Human selfishness could have consequences far beyond imagination.

Kill someone, and you took all their points. They weren't divided equally.

If someone exceptionally powerful emerged, could the people joining forces against them really attack as one? Especially when only three people could survive?

'Not a chance.'

They would go crazy trying to land the last hit, trip over one another, and get eaten by the lion. He could picture it perfectly.

'Then there's only one thing to do.'

Rack up kills.

Kill them all and get stronger faster than anyone else. His goal was set.

He summoned Cedric and set off. Whether he found Seo Yerim or some candidate passing by, either would do.

After walking for about ten minutes, he encountered a familiar face.

The Second Young Master, Baek Cheoryong—the candidate who had placed fourth with 9,700 points.

They stared at each other for a moment before Baek Cheoryong spoke.

"Socheon! Thank goodness you're alive. At a time like this, shouldn't we brothers stick together?"

"Shall we?"

Both smiling, they closed the distance.

Then Baek Cheoryong lunged, his eyes turning wild as he thrust his sword straight at Minwoo's head.

Minwoo tilted his head back.

Baek Cheoryong's eyes flashed. He tried to follow through immediately with a downward slash, but Cedric thrust his spear from the side.

As Cheoryong hastily twisted away, Kim Minwoo and Cedric attacked together. Sparks flew as the two swords and spear clashed.

Suheon, or whatever his name was—this second brother was much better than the fourth.

He had the basics down. But he hadn't made it to the advanced course.

'Then you die.'

Before even twenty exchanges had passed, a sword plunged into Baek Cheoryong's chest.

He stiffened for an instant.

THUD-THUD-THUD!

Cedric's spear pierced him all over.

"Ghurk!"

Baek Cheoryong coughed up blood. He stared at Cedric and Minwoo in disbelief, his lips trembling.

"M-monster..."

Minwoo cut off his head.

[Your level has increased by 2!]

[Someone has died.]

[Remaining participants: 29]

Messages appeared above the map.

[Points: 2]

His body felt noticeably lighter.

* * *

[30 minutes have passed. Rankings are being calculated.]

[1st: Baek Socheon, 4 points]

[2nd: Choi Aengaeng, Seok Woncho, 3 points]

[3rd: Namgung Hyeji, Baek Muhan, Choi Mubaek, 2 points]

.

.

"Amitabha..."

Gongsim, a warrior monk of Shaolin Temple, chanted the Buddha's name. A battle of killing and being killed until only three remained.

This trial was particularly cruel.

The one saving grace was that the Martial Alliance members here had managed to form a group.

There were four of them.

It was a small group, but they had to be grateful they had found one another at all. Otherwise, the leaders' scores might have risen even higher by now.

"... Shouldn't we hurry and earn some points ourselves?"

Everyone fell silent at the question from Jin Cheonmyeong, a first-generation disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.

They had been lucky enough to encounter only fellow Martial Alliance members and join forces. As a result, all four still had just one point.

Ten people had died in just thirty minutes.

It was painfully obvious what would happen if they let more time pass. Someone who had accumulated points would devour them.

"... Yes. You are right, Master Cheonmyeong. We must act quickly as well."

Just then, a message appeared.

['Baek Socheon' is now displayed on the map.]

[Duration: 5 minutes]

A red circle appeared on the image called a 'map.'

They could reach him within five minutes if they ran hard. He wasn't even a fellow member of the Martial Alliance. They had no reason to hesitate over killing him.

The four men's eyes gleamed.

"Four points..."

"That would let us catch up in one go."

"Indeed. But he must be quite skilled. He may even be among the strongest candidates here."

Everyone nodded. He had killed three people in just thirty minutes. His abilities had to be formidable.

"Are we going?"

At Jin Cheonmyeong's question, the other three looked increasingly conflicted.

Then Gongsim raised a hand and spoke.

"We will be facing a powerful opponent. Coordinating our attacks is more important than anything. So I believe we should decide beforehand who will kill him."

"..."

It was a reasonable suggestion. Intellectually, they could certainly understand it. Yet, strangely, their hearts pounded.

A suffocating silence followed.

Only three people could survive, but there were four of them here. If they made it to the end, one of them would have to die.

Whoever killed Baek Socheon, however, would have an excellent chance of surviving the trial.

That was why none of them could readily speak.

"... Amitabha. I shall withdraw from consideration. Decide among the three of you."

The remaining three discussed it. Only after hastily drawing lots did they finally choose the lucky winner.

Jin Cheonmyeong of the Mount Hua Sect would receive the points.

"This is merely a small detour. With Master Cheonmyeong's strength, the rest of us will soon be able to raise our scores as well."

The other two nodded at Gongsim's words. But that wasn't enough to dispel all their underlying dissatisfaction.

'... It can't be helped.'

Gongsim sighed inwardly. To avoid precisely this situation, he had originally intended to limit the group to three. That was the largest number who could trust one another until the end.

But they had kept encountering Martial Alliance members. They couldn't simply abandon someone because they already had three.

They had ended up with four, and the uneasy atmosphere was inevitable. Even if everyone here survived until the end, one of them would still have to die.

It was a cruel reality.

The four set off toward Baek Socheon's location.

Before long, he came into view. The Martial Alliance members narrowed their eyes at the undead standing near him.

'A necromancer?'

Necromancers, who primarily controlled the dead, were weak in close combat. If they could close the distance, they couldn't lose.

Their killing intent spread through the surroundings.

Then Baek Socheon turned and grinned.

"Four of you? Which one are you planning to kill later?"

"Hah!"

With a deafening lion's roar, Gongsim charged like lightning. Pure internal energy gathered in his palms, and the Shaolin martial arts he had trained in all his life rained down.

The other three charged as well, unleashing their signature techniques to pressure Baek Socheon.

Then the spear-wielding undead sprang into action.

'A master!'

Wariness entered all four men's eyes. They had thought the undead would be little cause for concern, but they couldn't have been more wrong.

"Master Geum! Take care of that undead!"

The gloomy-looking Geum Nakcheol nodded and began dueling the spear-wielding undead.

The remaining three launched a furious assault on Baek Socheon. Under the combined attacks of three masters, he was gradually driven back, small wounds appearing all over his body.

Then he smiled slyly at Jin Cheonmyeong, who was boldly unleashing lethal strikes. Noticing the plum blossoms embroidered on his clothes, he spoke.

"Oh, so the Mount Hua guy gets the points? Lucky him."

"Don't let his wicked words sway you!"

Gongsim shouted urgently. He intended to end this as quickly as possible.

The problem was that Baek Socheon was holding out far too well—well enough to keep running his mouth even under their combined assault.

"Not ending as quickly as you thought, is it? That's the power of points. And you're going to give them up? Really?"

However hard they tried to ignore him, they couldn't shut their ears.

Greed began creeping into the attackers' eyes. They had all been sitting at one point, so they hadn't had a clear sense of how effective the points were.

But looking at Baek Socheon, they were beginning to understand. If he could withstand the combined attacks of top Martial Alliance candidates this well...

"Kill me, and the Mount Hua guy is guaranteed to survive. Wonder who he'll kill? That gloomy-looking fellow? Or you, the one who looks old?"

Two kept him in check while the third exploited an opening to launch a killing blow.

That finely coordinated assault began falling apart. With more room to breathe, Baek Socheon kept talking.

"Neither of them? Hey, you phony monk! Did you agree to sacrifice yourself, then?"

"..."

Gongsim was instantly struck speechless.

Sacrifice himself?

What kind of bullshit was that?

He was a warrior monk, not an enlightened sage. He had trained in martial arts to gain fame and enjoy wealth and glory. He hadn't spent his whole life training just to die a dog's death in a place like this.

But he couldn't openly deny it, either. That would shatter their morale.

Yet sometimes, silence was an answer in itself. Everyone's attacks gradually turned into killing strikes.

All three grew increasingly impatient.

A more lethal attack. A sharper attack. An attack that could kill in a single blow.

All of these inevitably required larger movements.

In an instant, all their sharp, restraining attacks vanished.

The price of leaving an opening was horrific.

One man's head flew off in a flash. It was Lee Jehyeong, the older-looking man. The master who served as a pillar of the Lee family had died in an instant.

"...!"

"Ah, now I can breathe a little."

Baek Socheon's score jumped to five.

A chill ran down Gongsim's and Jin Cheonmyeong's spines. Even with three of them attacking together, they had barely managed to push him back.

Now there were only two. And their enemy had just become much stronger.

The gloomy-looking Geum Nakcheol was still locked in a fierce exchange with the undead. He was even slowly losing ground.

Their chances of winning?

None whatsoever.

As befitted masters, the two reached their decision swiftly. The speed with which they turned to flee was a work of art.

Unfortunately, Baek Socheon, now with five points, was much faster.

Jin Cheonmyeong's head flew into the sky, and a blade drove up into Gongsim's heart.

"Ghurk..."

"Why'd you go around with people you couldn't trust? Idiot."

"Y-you... demon..."

The blade slid free. Gongsim crumpled to the ground.

The last survivor, Geum Nakcheol, met the same fate.

[Your level has increased by 3!]

His level was shooting up two or three at a time after each battle. The pace was absolutely insane.

It also testified to just how high the average level of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering's participants was. Kim Minwoo turned away from the corpse.

If the three had continued attacking in perfect unison, he might have been the one lying dead by now.

'Well, if the rules encouraged that, I wouldn't have fought them in the first place.'

If points were divided equally, for instance. Or if killing someone with a high score still only earned you one point.

With rules like that, he would have picked up a few kills and hidden.

After reaching eight points, he realized something delightful.

Kim Minwoo looked down at his body. The rate at which he grew stronger with every kill surpassed his imagination.

Eight points.

If the bonuses were additive, his stats should have risen to about 1.8 times their original values. But that wasn't how it felt at all.

'Feels closer to 2.1 times, doesn't it?'

Checking his status window confirmed it.

"These bonuses stack multiplicatively?"

Well, damn.

The rules were practically shoving him forward, telling him to mow everyone down.