Antlion Pit (4)

'Number Six, in an instant...'

Every one of the numbered members, from One through Seven, felt a chill. Their numbers had been assigned in the order they joined, so Number Six's level was on the lower side.

Even accounting for that, he had gone down far too quickly. He had charged first, only to be cut in half without accomplishing a thing.

'We've been had!'

Alarm bells rang in their heads.

They had never imagined Kim Minwoo's skill against human opponents was this far beyond them. They had used his fight against Jo Piluk as their only benchmark.

Perhaps he could fight a little better than that. Even so, they had assumed he would remain somewhere around that level, not surpass it entirely.

'Then this makes no sense.'

At that level, Number Six should have lasted at least twenty exchanges.

Instead, he had died after just one. Even with Cedric and that strange woman's help, it meant that Kim Minwoo's swordsmanship itself was far beyond anything they had imagined.

'He read every move.'

He had simply toyed with Number Six.

There was no other conclusion.

Han Baekgil's mind raced.

'Can we even win this?'

Yu Longgang had drunk a potion, but his tangled mana still left him barely functioning.

Even if he tried to cast a spell, it would be useless if that witch interfered again. With Number Six and Yu Longgang out of action, they had eight S-rank awakeners left.

'The light-attribute artifacts were useless, too.'

And that wasn't all.

Why were even those pathetic summons, like the skeletons, so strong? They felt like thoroughly drilled regular troops.

The skeletons maintained formation, steadily tightening their encirclement as though taking down a powerful monster. They blocked with shields while those behind threw nets, thrusting long spears through the gaps with precision to keep the awakeners pinned down.

Were these really the summons that were supposed to serve as meat shields?

'Killing them isn't a problem, but... '

The real problem was the time these summons were costing them.

All of it consumed stamina and mana. They were drinking potions, but they could barely keep up with the drain.

The spells the mages cast by pooling their strength were incredibly troublesome, too. Even S-rank awakeners found their vision narrowing under paltry curses.

And no matter how many times they struck the enormous golem, it stubbornly endured their attacks.

"Boss!"

"What are we going to do?"

The S-rank awakeners demanded an answer. They, too, could feel how badly the battle was turning against them.

The lowly summons were intelligent.

Light attacks didn't work.

Kim Minwoo's swordsmanship was beyond anything they had imagined.

On top of that, some strange woman had appeared and was firing off all manner of high-level spells.

He had thought they had prepared thoroughly enough and acted decisively.

'I was complacent.'

Looking at the outcome, that was what it amounted to.

Kim Minwoo.

The bastard had been hiding far more than they had anticipated. Hunting him would require action from Shadow's central headquarters, not merely its Korean branch.

Only two choices remained.

Retreat and accept the sacrifices.

Or charge into the midst of the undead and kill Kim Minwoo.

The problem was that fear had already begun creeping into the S-rank awakeners' eyes.

Even if they attacked as one with everything they had, victory would be uncertain. And now they were panicking?

'This isn't going to work.'

A pack of frightened wolves could accomplish nothing by charging a lion. Once one or two died, the rest would flee with their tails between their legs.

That was exactly their situation.

One or two more deaths, and they would all start running. After all, they could escape alive if they just reached the midway zone.

Then their losses would be so devastating that calling them sacrifices would hardly suffice.

"... Retreat!"

Han Baekgil shouted through gritted teeth.

'I'll abandon Korea.'

He had to seek asylum at central headquarters and warn them how dangerous this man was.

He wasn't merely someone who could shake up Korea. He was a monster who could shake the entire world.

'Fortunately, I do have something to show for this.'

He had learned that Kim Minwoo's undead were truly special.

Mere skeletons knew how to use tactics and construct proper spells. Creatures he could summon by the thousands possessed the ability to learn?

The ramifications would be beyond imagination.

America, for one, would immediately become deeply wary.

Even he couldn't begin to judge how high Minwoo's ceiling might be. Compared with uncovering that, sacrificing an S-rank awakener or two was a small price.

'We can churn out more of them in no time anyway.'

Their accelerated leveling made that possible.

The S-rank awakeners hurried out the door. As they fled, a spell struck, rooting two of them in place.

Numbers Five and Seven.

They were among the less skilled members.

Seeing them caught, the others actually smiled in relief.

'Perfect.'

'They should at least buy us some time.'

Shadow had never been an organization bound by strong camaraderie. They had not the slightest intention of rescuing them.

No, quite the opposite.

SHUNK!

They slashed through the legs of the trainees running alongside them.

"Argh!"

"Wh-why?!"

Han Baekgil and the other core members ran on, their eyes indifferent.

Numbers Five and Seven, along with the remaining trainees, were their sacrificial lambs.

Restrained or left with crippled legs, they would fight desperately to buy time. Meanwhile, the others had to find the midway zone as quickly as possible.

* * *

Numbers Five and Seven, plus the three remaining trainees.

Minwoo needed three more kills to trigger it, yet they had handed him nearly five sacrifices.

He looked first at Numbers Five and Seven.

They were struggling desperately to break the spell.

'It wouldn't be an SS-rank spell if it were that easy to break... '

Unlike Number Six, these two had to be held a little longer, so an SS-rank spell had been used to immobilize them. It would take at least another ten seconds to wear off.

Kim Minwoo, Cedric, and even Dolsoe descended on them. These were awakeners who had made names for themselves as the mainstays of fairly prominent guilds.

Yet the two S-rank awakeners were devoured in an instant, barely putting up any resistance.

'If anything, they seem weaker than before?'

They were the same people he remembered from the past.

Despite their higher levels, their skills weren't particularly impressive. Perhaps it was because they relied on the experience-duplication bug to level up.

Whatever the case, hunting empty-shell S-rankers like these was easier than picking his nose. That was all the more true now that he had Merhen, Cedric, and Dolsoe.

[Your level has increased by 3!]

[Your level has increased by 2!]

His level shot up with every kill.

The item drops were a bonus.

Naturally, he stashed them in his inventory.

'I think I've already made over 300 billion won.'

As befitted high-ranking awakeners, they were well equipped. There weren't any truly spectacular items, but they wore decent gear from head to toe.

That alone would be worth a considerable sum.

"P-please spare us..."

The trainees stared at him in terror.

The fighting spirit that had filled their eyes during the initial attack was gone.

He smiled at them.

"No need to feel wronged. Your friends will be joining you soon."

He had shown them everything.

The surest way to keep a secret was to kill everyone who had seen it.

Just like this.

SHUNK!

All three were beheaded in a single stroke.

[You have hunted a total of thirteen!]

[A hidden mechanic is revealed!]

[The map is changing!]

[You have entered the 'One-Way' map!]

RUMBLE...!

The gate's setting began to change. A straight path appeared high in the air.

Kim Minwoo stood at one end, with Shadow's members at the exact opposite end.

In the middle, a square platform resembling an arena took shape.

"Wh-what the hell?!"

"Why did the map suddenly...?"

"Damn it, it's a hidden piece!"

Han Baekgil and his companions stared in bewilderment at the abruptly transformed setting. There was only one way to go: straight ahead.

On either side lay a dizzying drop into empty air.

It was obvious what would happen if they fell.

[Someone has met the conditions, changing the map!]

['One-Way' will now begin.]

[You will be given the 'rules.']

[You are the 'predator.']

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

[The greater your enemies' despair, the more 'Demon Points' you will accumulate!]

[Once you have hunted all the prey, a demon will appear to reward you according to your score!]

Those were the messages Kim Minwoo received.

[You are the 'prey!']

[You may vote to choose which companion will face the predator first.]

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

[Falling off either side of the path will result in certain death.]

Those were the messages that appeared for Shadow.

"... This is fucking insane."

Han Baekgil's expression hardened as he read.

In other words, they were being told to go and die one at a time.

"This is impossible!"

"Bullshit!"

The flustered Numbers Three and Four tried to move. But after advancing a short distance, they could go no farther, as though blocked by a solid wall.

[Only the one person chosen by vote may move!]

[The first vote will now begin. You have 1 minute.]

[Please select the prey who will make the first challenge.]

Cold sweat began trickling down everyone's forehead.

* * *

One-Way.

The premise was simple.

The predator and one person from the prey's side would set out from opposite ends of the path.

Then they would fight in the center.

'Wicked.'

Even the conditions were wicked.

Anyone capable of killing ten people was effectively capable of killing everyone who remained.

Yet the prey were denied even the chance to attack together. Only a single person chosen by vote could come to the center.

There wasn't even a midway zone on this map.

'The whole premise is... '

It was a stage built for demons' amusement. A stage made so they could watch the weak desperately vote to sacrifice one another, then watch them be slaughtered.

The way Demon Points accumulated was particularly cruel. The more despair he inflicted on his enemies, the more bonus points he earned. Earning the most bonus points would bring out a high-ranking demon to hand over a reward.

'Afterward, it goes back to the Demon's Castle map.'

Which meant...

'This is even better.'

It would have been different if ordinary awakeners had been caught up in this.

But these people had come with the express intention of killing him.

He had no reason to show mercy.

He could enjoy hunting them one by one and get a front-row seat to their self-destruction.

For Kim Minwoo, it was the perfect map.

'And I'll get some rewards out of it, too.'

Three birds with one stone.

In the distance, he could see Shadow's members shouting at the tops of their lungs.

They had chosen to flee because they couldn't beat him even as a group.

And now one of them had to face him alone?

They might as well be told to die.

Of course they were desperately trying not to be chosen.

"Han Baekgil, you son of a bitch!"

The words burst out in broken Korean.

It seemed the first sacrificial lamb had been decided.

Yu Longgang, the Chinese S-rank mage.

He was screaming curses. Unfortunately, swearing didn't reduce the number of votes against him.

With everyone's wholehearted support, Yu Longgang was chosen.

'They're buying time.'

Was there anything more useless than a mage who couldn't cast magic?

Unfortunately, on this stage, that was exactly what Yu Longgang was.

A moment later, he was summoned to the center.

[The first prey has entered!]

[Combat will begin in 5 seconds! Prepare yourselves!]

Yu Longgang hurriedly began casting spells.

Unfortunately for him, Merhen had been summoned nearby and was staring straight at him.

"Still so simple, aren't they?"

Cold sweat poured off Yu Longgang.

His teeth chattered.

'No... '

No.

This wasn't Grand Explosion.

Besides, he had cast numerous offensive spells during the preparation time. Even that witch couldn't possibly counter them as easily as before.

That had to be true.

Otherwise...

[Combat begins!]

Before he could even unleash his spells—

"Idiot."

[Casting of Earth Binding (S) has been canceled!]

[Casting of Flame Dragon's Breath (A) has...]

[Casting of Summon Tidal Wave (A) has...]

[Casting of Wind Hook (B) has...]

.

.

"Ah."

A moment later, all four of his limbs were severed.