Chapter 33: With Kang Minhyuk

Chapter 33

The first phase in what was dubbed the ‘Wall Crossing Strategy’ involved just Kang Minhyuk and Kim Jinsung.

“When you reach the top of the wall, I’ll follow, hiding in the shadows,” Kim Jinsung had said.

“Shadows?”

“This way.”

Kim Jinsung demonstrated his ‘Shadow Hide’ skill right in front of Kang Minhyuk.

It was a pity to reveal it at this point, but it was necessary to persuade Kang Minhyuk.

‘I have plenty of other weapons. And it’s only being revealed to Kang Minhyuk anyway…’

‘The main thing was to get over the wall. Then, Kang Minhyuk too…’

With that thought, Kim Jinsung looked back.

They were too far away. The others wouldn’t have seen him use the ‘Shadow Hide’ skill.

“Now all you have to do is reach the top of the wall. Can you do it?”

After a short pause, Kang Minhyuk answered with a nod.

The high-quality armor he obtained from the supply box seemed to make it really possible.

‘No matter how many mana-enriched bullets concentrate their fire, they won’t easily break through the shield spell on that armor.’

The armor gleamed with a soft blue light. As seen in previous seasons, it was definitely engraved with shield magic.

“I’ll go tell the others about the secondary strategy.”

Kim Jinsung turned and ran off to the thicket where the other Contestants were hiding.

“I’ve planned the first strategy. As I said earlier, only Kang Minhyuk and I will move in the first phase. Any objections?”

His question was met with a reaction completely different from when he had originally proposed a solo charge.

No one spoke up this time.

Having witnessed the astonishing scene of him fighting Kang Minhyuk on equal footing, they saw no reason to contest Kim Jinsung’s plan.

“Good. Then, I’ll explain the second phase of the strategy to follow a successful first phase.”

Kim Jinsung, now effectively leading the group, began speaking.

‘We need to secure space for the second phase to succeed.’

With this thought, Kim Jinsung purposely charged forward.

Kang Minhyuk, on the opposing side, was also seen swinging his greatsword as he charged.

“Block him!”

“What are you doing? It’s only two of them!”

“Surround them!”

The defenders quickly swarmed in, trying to exploit their numerical advantage.

Kim Jinsung wasn’t just going to stand by and be surrounded.

‘First, let’s create some confusion!’

He immediately hid in the shadows.

“!?”

“What’s this?!”

While the defenders were confused, Kim Jinsung sprang up from a shadow just behind the frontline defender. He swung his sword in a wide 360-degree arc.

“Argh!”

“Gurk…”

Several fell to the ground with screams, and one collapsed like a rotten tree, his neck properly severed.

An alert popped up before Kim Jinsung:

You have defeated a villain.

You have earned 15 Beast Karma points.

You have acquired the trait ‘Natural Merchant.’

▷ Natural Merchant: Permanently increases strength and stamina by 15.

▶ Your strength and stamina have increased by 15 due to the ‘Natural Merchant’ trait.

‘Once more!’

Kim Jinsung hid in the shadows again at the precise moment the defenders tried to counterattack.

He shifted to a shadow on the far right of the defenders and sprang up again.

Slash!

A defender, with his neck more than half severed, collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

The alert that popped up seemed to confirm instant death.

You have acquired the trait ‘Large Dantian.’

▷ Large Dantian: Permanently increases intelligence by 10.

‘Good! They’re shaken up!’

Kim Jinsung peered out while hiding under the shadows, assessing the situation.

The defenders on the left where he was had been thrown into disarray, unable to cope with the ‘Shadow’ skill.

On Kang Minhyuk’s side…

Thump!

“Ouch!”

Kang Minhyuk’s overwhelming strength was causing the defenders, which were more numerous, to be pushed back.

Even if they managed to block his greatsword, the impact was so great it broke weapons or severely dented armor, revealing Kang Minhyuk’s incredible strength.

‘Most of these guys won’t last. I almost got pushed back myself.’

Having directly clashed with him, Kim Jinsung understood all too well why Kang Minhyuk had been capable of that one-man show.

‘Now it’s time for the others to come over…’

As Kim Jinsung briefly glanced at the outside of the wall where the rest of the participants were gathering,

Whoosh!

A loud dispersal of mana echoed between Kim Jinsung and Kang Minhyuk, as a burst of white light erupted.

The white light quickly dissipated, and

“We made it!”

“Kill them!”

“Charge!”

All the participants emerged in the cleared space and charged towards the defenders with a battle cry.

“Gasp, gasp…

Gasp…”

Except for Han Seungjin, who had used all his mana utilizing the warp skill.

Feeling triumphant inside, Kim Jinsung thought,

‘Second phase, success!’

If Kim Jinsung and Kang Minhyuk managed to secure a space on top of the wall where one could warp, Han Seungjin could use his ability to teleport the remaining participants there—a strategy with very slim odds of success that had worked perfectly.

Slash!

“Argh!”

Kim Jinsung leaped up from the shadows, slashing the back of a defender’s neck who had showed his back.

“Let’s commence phase three!”

Shouting to his comrades, Kim Jinsung made sure to cleanly slice the defender’s neck.

You have acquired the trait ‘Stone Skin.’

▷ Stone Skin: Permanently increases skin defense by 10.

The participants reacted immediately to Kim Jinsung’s call.

“Charge!”

“Push forward!”

“Hey Han Seungjin! Drop the rope fast!”

As instructed, some held back the defenders while a few began setting up ropes to descend the wall.

Then it happened.

“Ah, I don’t care! I’m going first!”

Suddenly, one Contestant acted unpredictably.

A participant assigned to block the defenders immediately leaped off the wall.

“Hey!!”

Regardless of the middle-aged man who yelled angrily, the participant who had jumped was already nearing the landing.

Just before hitting the ground, his feet were covered thickly in mana.

It was the scene of his unique skill ‘Light Landing’ being activated.

“Fight well, you idiots! I’m going ahead!”

The man, who had yelled towards the wall, landed safely on the ground.

Simultaneously, something drawn in blue light rose from the ground.

It was a magic circle.

Crackle!

“Arghh!”

With screams and shivering body, the scene reeked of proper electrocution. Overwhelmed by an immense current, he couldn’t even move as he was repeatedly struck by electric magic, eventually collapsing powerlessly to the ground, body blackened. And this spectacle was witnessed by all the Contestants atop the wall.

“Heek…!”

“It’s a magic circle!”

“No wonder there was nothing behind the wall…!”

“The real idiot turned out to be that guy.”

The giant blue magic circle had a diameter spanning over 10 meters. With such a size, even if Han Seungjin were to use his warp skill again, it would be impossible to cross over.

“Get the ropes, we can’t go down this way, we’ll die!”

“But what do we do now?”

“This is an unexpected variable…”

The Contestants began to waver, unsure of what to do while gazing at the magic circle. Kim Jinsung felt perplexed.

‘I think I could make that distance, and probably Kang Minhyuk could too…’

But apart from them, the rest certainly couldn’t make the jump.

Kim Jinsung grappled with his choices for a moment.

Should he just abandon the others and go alone? Was there a need to make an effort to save those he barely knew and who might stab him in the back at any moment?

That’s when it happened.

“Ah, damn it! I didn’t want to reveal this.”

Suddenly, one of the Contestants spat a curse and extended his palms towards the ground behind the wall. Something thin began to shoot out rapidly from his palms towards the far side of the magic circle. The identity of the objects that embedded themselves outside the range of the magic circle was…

“Huh? Mana thread?”

“It’s mana thread!”

Very thin threads were emitting faint blue mana light. It was clear they were mana threads, a special skill that only the highly adept in mana among the awakened could produce.

“You bastard! You knew such an advanced technique and you kept quiet?!”

Faced with the middle-aged man’s outrage, the Contestant said nothing and embedded the mana thread deeply into the wall. Standing atop the mana thread connected to the ground outside of the magic circle, he then began to dash across with all his might. Observing that the mana thread held strong and safely carried the man across,

“I guess we can use that to cross!”

“Hey, move it!”

“I’m going first!”

The Contestants began to rush toward the mana thread. Before long, they crowded the thread, stepping onto it and beginning to run. The defending forces couldn’t sit idly by.

“Go after them!”

“Hurry up, shoot!”

Ratatat!

Defenders not engaged in melee on the far side started shooting at the fleeing Contestants.

“Argh!”

“Ugh..!”

Zap!

Some were hit by bullets and fell, becoming toast as they were electrocuted by the magic circle. However, that was only a minority. Just three or four, while the rest made it safely to the ground and ran with all their might to the bushes on the opposite side.

“No! Just one more, please!”

“Aim properly!”

“Someone cut the thread!”

As more began to escape, the defenders belatedly shot at the thread. The concentrated firepower was enough to sever all the connected mana threads in an instant. But it was too late.

“How many got away?!”

“Only two left.”

“Damn it!”

Since everyone beside Kim Jinsung and Kang Minhyuk had escaped past the wall, the remaining defenders’ fury was focused on the two. Over a hundred defenders gathered to surround them. Assessing the situation, Kang Minhyuk then jump straight upwards with all his strength. Despite being a standing jump, his leap was unbelievably high, easily surmounting the magically rigged area.

Ratatat!

The defenders fired their rifles in a frenzy, but none of their bullets could penetrate the shield magic of Kang Minhyuk’s armor. He landed far away from the wall, untouched by harm, and immediately sprinted towards the bushes. His speed, incomparable to those who fled using teleportation, allowed Kang Minhyuk to vanish into the underbrush in an instant.

“Arrgh!! Dammit!!”

“Why can’t you catch even one guy?!”

“Where has the other one gone?!”

The defenders frantically tried to locate Kim Jinsung, the last remaining Contestant, with an almost seizure-like reaction. But Kim Jinsung was already…

“Thanks for the hard work.”

Emerging from the shadow of the fleeing Kang Minhyuk and running alongside, he greeted him. That’s when it happened. Suddenly, Kang Minhyuk stopped running. He turned to aim his greatsword at Kim Jinsung’s neck.

Kim Jinsung also had to halt abruptly.