Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Spendthrift Necromancer (55)

Dragon-Phoenix Gathering (3)[Detailed rules will now be provided.][Please look at the ‘map’ above.][You are marked with a red circle.]

In the upper-right corner.

A map resembling a minimap appeared together with a red circle.[Current Points: 1]

His points were displayed too.[When you kill an opponent, all of their points are transferred to you.][For every 1 point, all stats increase by 10%.][The more points you possess, the greater the chance your location will be displayed on opponents' maps.][As time passes, certain areas will become uninhabitable. They will be marked on the map.][Rankings will be calculated and displayed every 30 minutes.][Then, good luck.]

“Interesting.”

The rules were incredibly malicious.

The more people you killed, the stronger you became.

But your position also became increasingly visible, raising the risk of being ganged up on.‘But…….’Even if he swept up a pile of points, it might not be as dangerous as it seemed.

Because the candidates were weak?

No.

These were the thirty best young martial artists in Murim.

If even five of them cooperated against him, Minwoo couldn't confidently guarantee victory.

However…….‘The rules will trip them up.’Human selfishness could create consequences far beyond imagination.

Kill someone and you took every point they had.

The points weren't distributed evenly.

Then if one exceptionally powerful person emerged, could everyone attacking them truly unite with one heart?

In a structure where only three people could survive?‘Absolutely not.’They'd go blind trying to land the last hit, trip over one another, and get eaten by the lion.

He could already picture it.‘Then there's only one thing to do.’Sweep up kills.

Kill everyone and become strong faster than anyone else.

The goal was decided.

Minwoo summoned Cedric and began moving.

Whether he found Seo Yerim.

Or some random candidate walking around.

Anything was fine.

After walking for about ten minutes.

He encountered a familiar face.

Second Young Master, Baek Cheolyong.

The candidate who had taken fourth place with 9,700 points.

They stared at each other for a moment.

Baek Cheolyong spoke.

“Socheon! I'm glad you're alive. At times like this, brothers should stick together, shouldn't we?”

“Should we?”

They smiled as they closed the distance.

Then Baek Cheolyong lunged in an instant.

With crazed eyes, he thrust his sword forward.

A strike aimed precisely at Minwoo's head.

Minwoo leaned back.

Baek Cheolyong's eyes flashed.

Riding the momentum, he tried to bring his sword crashing straight down.

At that moment, Cedric beside him thrust his spear.

Baek Cheolyong hurriedly twisted away.

Kim Minwoo and Cedric attacked him together.

Two swords and a spear collided, scattering sparks.

Suheon or whatever his name had been.

Compared to the fourth son, this second son was much better.

He had the basics.

But he hadn't reached the advanced course.‘Then you die.’Before even twenty exchanges had passed.

Minwoo's sword plunged into Baek Cheolyong's chest.

A brief stiffening.

Stabstabstab!

Cedric's spear pierced through his entire body.

Cough!

Baek Cheolyong spat blood.

He stared at Cedric and Minwoo in disbelief, lips trembling.

“M-Mon……

ster…….”

Minwoo cut off his head.[Level increases by 2!][Someone has died.][Remaining Participants: 29]

Messages appeared over the map.[Current Points: 2]

His body instantly felt lighter.* * *[30 minutes have passed. Rankings will now be calculated.][1st Baek Socheon, 4 points][2nd Choi Aeng-Aeng, Seok Woncho 3 points][3rd Namgung Hyeji, Baek Muhan, Choi Mubaek 2 points]..

“Amitabha…….”

Gongsim, a warrior monk of the Shaolin Temple, murmured a Buddhist prayer.

A fight where everyone had to kill and be killed until only three remained.

This trial was exceptionally cruel.

If there was one consolation.

The Martial Alliance members here had managed to form a group.

There were four of them.

A small group.

But simply having gathered together was something to be grateful for.

Otherwise, the scores of the top rankers might already have risen even higher.

“……

Shouldn't we start accumulating points quickly too?”

At the question of Jin Cheonmyeong, a first-generation disciple of Mount Hua, everyone fell silent.

By sheer luck, they'd encountered only members of the Martial Alliance and joined together.

That was why all four still had only 1 point.

Ten people had died in barely thirty minutes.

It was obvious what would happen if time continued passing.

They would be devoured by those who had already accumulated points.

“……

Yes. Benefactor Cheonmyeong is correct. We should move quickly as well.”

Then.[‘Baek Socheon’ is displayed on the map.][Duration: 5 minutes]A red circle appeared on the image called the ‘map.’

If they ran diligently, they could reach him within five minutes.

He wasn't even one of their Martial Alliance comrades.

There was no reason to hesitate in eliminating him.

The four men's eyes gleamed.

“4 points…….”

“With this, we can recover the gap all at once.”

“Indeed. But this man's skill must be considerable. He may even rank among the very strongest candidates.”

Everyone nodded.

He'd killed three people in only thirty minutes.

His strength had to be terrifying.

“Shall we go?”

At Jin Cheonmyeong's question, deep hesitation appeared on the other three faces.

Then.

Gongsim raised one hand.

“We are facing a strong opponent. Coordination will be more important than anything. So I believe we must decide beforehand. Who will kill him?”

“…….”

It was reasonable.

Something they could clearly understand with their heads.

Yet strangely, their hearts began pounding.

Only three people could survive.

But four people were gathered here.

Meaning if they reached the end, one of them would inevitably have to die.

But the person who killed Baek Socheon would have an extremely high chance of surviving the trial.

That was why none of them could speak easily.

“……

Amitabha. I shall withdraw. Decide among the three of you.”

The remaining three discussed it.

Only after hastily drawing lots did they determine the lucky one.

Jin Cheonmyeong of Mount Hua.

He would receive the points.

“This is merely a slight detour. Afterward, with Benefactor Cheonmyeong's strength, the rest of us will surely raise our points quickly as well.”

At Gongsim's words, the other two nodded.

But that couldn't completely erase the unease hidden beneath the surface.‘……

It can't be helped.’Gongsim sighed inwardly.

He had originally intended to accept only two companions precisely for situations like this.

Three was the maximum number who could trust each other until the very end.

But they kept encountering Martial Alliance members.

They couldn't simply fill three slots and abandon the fourth person on the spot.

In the end, they had become four.

An uneasy atmosphere was unavoidable.

Even if everyone here survived until the end, one of them would absolutely have to die.

A cruel reality.

The four began moving toward Baek Socheon.

Before long, they spotted him.

The Martial Alliance members narrowed their eyes at the undead standing around him.‘A necromancer?’Necromancers who primarily commanded the dead were weak in close combat.

If they closed the distance, there was no way they could lose.

Killing intent from four people swallowed the surroundings.

Then.

Baek Socheon turned around and grinned.

“Four of you? Who are you planning to kill later after grouping up like that?”

“Silence!”

Gongsim roared with Lion's Roar and charged like lightning.

Pure internal energy gathered in both palms.

Soon, the Shaolin martial arts he'd trained his entire life poured down like rain.

The remaining three attacked as well.

Their ultimate techniques crashed toward Baek Socheon.

Then.

The spear-wielding undead began to move.‘A master!’Wariness filled all four men's eyes.

They'd assumed the undead didn't require much attention.

They had been completely wrong.

“Benefactor Geum! Handle that undead!”

Geum Nakcheol, a man with a gloomy expression, nodded and began fighting the spear-wielding undead one-on-one.

The remaining three launched a fierce assault on Baek Socheon.

Under the combined attack of three masters, Baek Socheon slowly began giving ground.

Small wounds appeared all over his body.

Then.

Baek Socheon saw Jin Cheonmyeong boldly launching killing techniques and smiled slyly.

Spotting the plum-blossom pattern on his clothes, he spoke.

“Ah, so Mount Hua gets the points? Lucky you.”

“Do not be deceived by his wicked words!”

Gongsim shouted urgently.

He intended to finish the battle as quickly as possible.

The problem was that Baek Socheon was enduring far too well.

Well enough to keep talking even under their combined assault.

“Not ending as fast as you expected, right? That's the power of points. And you're giving them away? Seriously?”

They could try to ignore him.

They couldn't close their ears.

Little by little, greed entered the eyes of those attacking him.

Until now, they'd all remained at 1 point, so they hadn't fully understood how powerful the stat increase was.

But looking at Baek Socheon, they had a rough idea.

If he could withstand a combined assault from elite Martial Alliance candidates this well…….

“If you kill me, the Mount Hua guy is basically guaranteed to survive. Wonder who he'll kill afterward? That gloomy-looking one? Or you, old man?”

Two suppressed him.

One sought an opening and unleashed a killing strike.

That precise coordination began to unravel.

Baek Socheon's mouth kept moving as more room opened for him.

“Neither? Hey, bald monk! Then did you all agree you'd be the sacrifice?”

“…….”

Gongsim immediately found himself speechless.

Sacrifice?

What kind of bullshit was that?

He was a warrior monk, not some enlightened saint.

He had trained martial arts to earn fame, wealth, and glory.

He hadn't devoted his entire life to training so he could die like a dog in a place like this.

But he couldn't openly deny it either.

That would destroy their morale.

However…….

Sometimes silence itself was an answer.

Everyone's attacks gradually began transforming into killing techniques.

All three grew more impatient.

A more lethal attack.

A sharper attack.

An attack that could kill in one blow.

All such attacks inevitably required larger motions.

In one instant, every sharp restraint disappeared.

The price for revealing an opening was horrific.

One man's head flew immediately.

Lee Jehyeong, the older-looking martial artist.

A pillar of the Lee Clan was killed in an instant.

“……!”

“Ah, now I can breathe a little.”

Baek Socheon's score immediately rose to 5.

Gongsim and Jin Cheonmyeong.

A chill crawled up both their spines.

Even with three attacking together, all they'd managed was to push him back slightly.

Now only two remained.

And their enemy had become far stronger than moments ago.

Geum Nakcheol, the gloomy-looking man, was still fiercely exchanging blows with the undead.

He was even being pushed back little by little.

Chance of victory?

None.

Like masters, the two reached their decision quickly.

The speed with which they turned around was almost artistic.

Unfortunately, Baek Socheon with 5 points was far faster.

Jin Cheonmyeong's head flew into the sky.

A blade erupted through Gongsim's heart.

“Cough…….”

“See? Why'd you travel with people you couldn't trust? Idiot.”

“Y-You de……

mon…….”

The blade slid free.

Gongsim collapsed to the ground.

The final survivor, Geum Nakcheol, died soon afterward as well.[Level increases by 3!]

Two or three levels rising from a single battle.

A truly insane speed.

It was also proof of how high the average level of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering participants was.

Kim Minwoo looked at the corpses, then turned away.

If those three had continued attacking with one heart and mind, Minwoo might have been the corpse lying there instead.‘Though if the rules worked like that, I wouldn't have fought them in the first place.’If the points were divided equally.

Or killing a high-score target still gave only 1 point.

With rules like that, he would've simply collected a few kills and hidden.

Once his score reached around 8, Minwoo noticed something delightful.

He looked at his own body.

The speed at which he grew stronger with every kill was beyond imagination.

8 points.

If the stats were additive, they should have risen to around 1.8 times their original values.

But that wasn't how it felt at all.‘Feels more like 2.1 times?’His Status confirmed it.

“These multiply?”

This was practically the system shoving him toward a one-man massacre.