Novel All
Chapter 139
Chapter 139
After defeating Myth, they continued their relentless advance.
Jeong-Hoon cleared the seventh trap and moved to another zone to eliminate the last remaining trap, swiftly taking down the remaining users in the process.
“Ack!”
“Argh!”
They fell like leaves in the autumn wind.
The teamwork between Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon was flawless.
[The 1st round has ended.]
[You have been selected as the final team.]
In the end, Ho-Yeong emerged victorious.
Furthermore, Jeong-Hoon had successfully cleared all eight traps he had planned for.
‘Alright. With this, we’re safe from the Second Cataclysm.’
The way to avoid the Second Cataclysm.
It was to have at least one server in the entire world discover and clear all the traps.
By removing the last trap, Jeong-Hoon had just changed the future where disaster would befall Earth.
‘Those guys at headquarters must be having fun already.’
The people at New World headquarters wouldn’t take any special measures even though the Second Cataclysm had been averted, and they would slowly prepare for their next plan.
The reason was simple.
They were enjoying it.
They were the kind of people who enjoyed it more the more humans struggled, so it would be the same this time too.
“Son!”
Jeong-Hoon snapped out of his thoughts at his mother’s call.
“Yes?”
“We won first place! First place!”
They had beaten all the other teams and taken first place.
His mother was overjoyed like a child at the result, and Jeong-Hoon couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s all thanks to you, Mom.”
“Hmm? Didn’t you finish them all off?”
“The cover fire was perfect, so finishing them off was easy.”
“Really? Thank you.”
She wasn’t just saying it; she meant it.
Thanks to his mother’s support fire, they had saved so much time.
And thanks to her ‘Trap Detection’ skill, they were able to clear all eight traps.
‘…Genesis Shot.’
Jeong-Hoon recalled the moment he had killed the Guardian Swordsman earlier.
It was also a skill that the Genesis Sniper acquired upon upgrading to Unique grade.
It was a skill that could only be used once a day, and although it didn’t deal damage, it was a debuff shot that could seal the opponent’s skills for three minutes.
He hadn’t expected that shot to even erase a blessing.
“If you’re okay with it, why don’t you go to the Gun Tower?”
“The Gun Tower?”
“Yes.”
The tower that gunslingers went to, hence the name Gun Tower.
Since they had won the bet with Ling Ling, his mother’s level would increase by an additional 30, reaching 136.
That would qualify her to take on quests at the Gun Tower.
“Alright, I’ll do as you say, son.”
“Okay.”
[Moving to the settlement area.]
Jeong-Hoon returned to the white room where he had first arrived.
Ling Ling was there, greeting him with a bright smile.
“Welcome back! I’ve been waiting!”
“You seem very happy.”
Ling Ling had lost the bet.
Nevertheless, her face was full of smiles.
“Of course! Thanks to you, I got to see something very interesting.”
A very interesting human who relieved her recent boredom.
When he moved from base to base, quickly eliminating the hidden enemies, a sense of refreshment washed over her.
Usually, in survival games like this, everyone tended to play defensively, but Jeong-Hoon, from the very beginning, displayed a completely opposite playstyle, like a warrior.
It might have been a risky play, but it was the most thrilling one she had ever seen.
“Thank you for the compliment. But you have to give me the reward for the bet, right?”
Jeong-Hoon smiled.
But compliments were just compliments.
The bet didn’t disappear.
“Hmph, do I look like the type to flatter someone just for that?”
Ling Ling scoffed.
She had expected to lose this bet.
In other words, the bet was just an excuse for Ling Ling.
It was a reward for the excitement and enjoyment he had given her.
“Then please give me the reward quickly.”
“Alright.”
[You have acquired 10% Heavenly Energy.]
10% Heavenly Energy.
With this, his Heavenly Energy had reached 25%.
But the reward didn’t end there.
[Level increased by 30!]
[All stats increased by +30.]
[Bonus stats +30 granted.]
[Summon: Michael’s level increased by 30.]
As per the bet, not only Jeong-Hoon’s level but also Michael’s level increased by 30.
“My teammate’s level has also increased, right?”
“Of course. It should have increased by 30, so check it later!”
“Thank you.”
He was satisfied.
Not only had he prevented the Second Cataclysm, but he had also received a considerable reward.
“But can I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“How did you know there were traps hidden?”
Jeong-Hoon’s lips curled up into a smirk at the sharp question.
“Why? Were we not supposed to find the traps?”
Ling Ling shook her head.
“No, that’s not it. It’s just that you acted as if you knew there were traps from the beginning.”
“My teammate can detect traps.”
Jeong-Hoon used his mother’s ‘Trap Detection’ skill as an excuse, but Ling Ling quickly saw through his lie.
However, she decided not to ask any further questions.
Since he didn’t have the hobby of prying into things, he let it go.
“Hehe, you don’t want to tell me, huh? Alright, it would be rude to ask further.”
* * *
VIP Room.
The guild leaders waited anxiously for the results of the first round.
The meaning of the second round depended on the outcome of the first round.
[The 1st round survival match has concluded!]
As the first round survival match ended, the hologram window switched.
[Calculating rankings.]
[Please wait a moment.]
That brief moment felt incredibly long to Yeo Sunwoo.
‘What place will it be?’
If Jeong-Hoon’s team didn’t come in first, Yeo Min-Ji would no longer be able to hold her position as an executive.
If she had recommended them with such confidence, they would surely prove it with results.
[Announcing the rankings.]
– 1st Place: Ho-Yeong
And the first place went to Ho-Yeong.
“Gasp!”
Yeo Sunwoo jumped up from his seat in surprise.
All eyes turned to him.
The emotions in their gazes weren’t much different from Yeo Sunwoo’s.
“Ho-Yeong is in first place?”
“No… how…?”
“An upset has occurred…!”
No one present had expected Ho-Yeong to take first place.
Users in the 170s and 100s level range.
Even if they were Hidden Classes, it should have been impossible to overcome the level gap.
But the result was Ho-Yeong in first place.
How on earth?
Bam!
Sa Jae-Hyeok slammed his hand on the table and left the VIP room.
– 9th Place: Myth
He had formed a team that was supposed to take first place without a doubt, but they had lost to Ho-Yeong.
And not even in second place, but ninth.
They had even lost to Venom and Wings, who were in front of them.
It was natural for Sa Jae-Hyeok to be furious.
Meanwhile, the Ho-Yeong Guild was in complete chaos.
“Wow!”
“We’re first! First place!”
“The young miss’s judgment was right!”
“It’s Honey 1, the one who soloed the Bone Lord Wyvern! It was a sure thing!”
Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon, recommended by Yeo Min-Ji, had taken first place.
The guild members regretted ever doubting her judgment.
“Oh… To think I doubted the young miss for a moment…”
“That’s why I told you to trust the young miss! How dare you underestimate Honey 1?!”
“Well, Chan-Hwa and Seung-Ji have been doing so well lately…”
“But if Chan-Hwa and Seung-Ji had gone, we would have lost! The opponents were Lee Ji-Seok and Lee Yeon-Soo.”
“That’s true.”
## Chapter 137
While they were making a fuss, Yeo Min-Ji was also jumping up and down in the waiting room.
“See! I was right!”
Park In-Tae, watching her, was sweating bullets.
“Y-Yes… How did they do it?”
“How did they do it? With their skills, of course. Please trust my words from now on, okay? Geez…”
“…”
Park In-Tae was speechless.
He was the one who had personally opposed Yeo Min-Ji’s recommendation of Jeong-Hoon.
As a result, he had to endure Yeo Min-Ji’s nagging all day.
* * *
Honestly, he didn’t care how the second round turned out.
[The 2nd round rankings are being revealed.]
– 2nd Place: Ho-Yeong
Ho-Yeong took second place in the second round.
Myth was in first place, and Wings took third.
It was unexpected that they lost to Myth, but combined with the results of the first round, Ho-Yeong’s ranking rose significantly.
On the other hand, Myth’s overall ranking dropped by two places.
Myth’s 9th place finish in the first round was fatal.
“Thank you so much! Ho-Yeong’s guild ranking has risen by two levels!”
Yeo Sunwoo came to find Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon and thanked them on behalf of the guild.
“No, it’s all thanks to my son.”
His mother was delighted to hear from Yeo Min-Ji that Ho-Yeong had surpassed Myth.
It was understandable, as she and her son had greatly contributed to the guild.
She felt relieved that they had repaid some of the kindness they had received from the guild.
“No, it would have been difficult to achieve first place without you, Mom.”
Jeong-Hoon quickly interjected.
His mother’s level might have been low, but her performance was tremendous.
“Yes, that’s true.”
Yeo Sunwoo didn’t deny it.
The first round was conducted in teams of two.
If one person was a burden, they would never be able to achieve a high ranking.
The fact that they won first place meant that Lee Na-Yeon had also shown an overwhelming performance.
Moreover, it was Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon who had eliminated Myth early on.
Because they had eliminated them early, even though they lost to Myth in the second round, Ho-Yeong’s guild ranking was able to surpass Myth’s.
“…It wasn’t that much…”
His mother was a bit embarrassed.
But it was true.
‘Mom’s potential is beyond imagination.’
He was once again convinced after experiencing this first round event.
Her growth wouldn’t end here.
She would surely rise even higher.
As a gunslinger surpassing Paul Rayman, his former comrade and betrayer.
“…I apologize. I was the one who opposed Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon’s participation at first.”
Yeo Sunwoo suddenly apologized.
“It’s okay. Anyone would have objected in that situation.”
It wasn’t easy to send out users with such absurdly low levels.
“No. Anyway, Ho-Yeong wants to reward you both, considering all that.”
“A reward?”
“Yes. Ho-Yeong will actively support you with items… so I’ve prepared an envelope.”
Yeo Sunwoo placed two envelopes on the table.
“Oh, what is this…”
His mother was flustered, but Jeong-Hoon casually picked up an envelope and checked the amount inside.
It was a check.
‘Oh, it’s for 100 million won.’
It was a check for 100 million won.
* * *
Throughout the Guild War event, Lee Ji-Seok and Lee Yeon-Soo couldn’t raise their heads.
Ninth place, with the Myth tag.
As the top-ranked Korean guild, even if they won first place in the second round, they couldn’t prevent their ranking from dropping due to their ninth-place finish in the first round.
“Sigh… I told you not to rush in recklessly.”
Lee Yeon-Soo was frustrated.
More than 90% of the blame for their ninth-place finish lay with Lee Ji-Seok, not him.
If he hadn’t mindlessly charged into the enemy’s base, they wouldn’t have been helplessly defeated.
“It’s still strange, no matter how much I think about it. The blessing suddenly disappeared!”
Lee Ji-Seok was also frustrated.
Using Ullion’s Blessing increased all stats at once.
It also provided damage reduction, boasting powerful tanking capabilities.
But before they could even enter the base, a gunshot rang out, and the blessing disappeared.
After that, he was overwhelmed by a barrage of arrows and couldn’t regain his composure, ultimately losing his life and being eliminated.
Creak!
At that moment, the door opened, and Lee Hwa-Rang entered.
The man who had taken first place in the second round.
As he entered, Lee Ji-Seok and Lee Yeon-Soo’s faces tensed up.
Lee Hwa-Rang rarely approached them unless he had a reason to.
In a situation like this, there was only one possible reason.
The results of the first round.
“You said you were hit by an arrow?”
However, Lee Hwa-Rang’s question was a bit different from what they had expected.
Lee Ji-Seok stammered and nodded.
“Y-Yes… That’s right… I died by a dagger, but before that, I was critically injured by an arrow…”
“You bastard. That’s why you ended up in 9th place with this kind of guy.”
“…”
“Hey, aren’t you going to answer?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Then why don’t you tell me about the guy who killed you?”
Lee Ji-Seok was a tanker.
And it was an arrow that instantly killed such a tanker.
‘It’s possible that it’s the bow I’m looking for.’
If it was a bow that could kill Lee Ji-Seok, who was close to level 250, at a mere level 170, it couldn’t be an ordinary bow.
“It was a guy named Hoon.”
“Hoon… Hoon from the Ho-Yeong Guild, you mean?”
“Yes.”
So that was the Hidden Class martial artist that Ho-Yeong had recruited.
He was an unusual guy in many ways.
“Um… May I say something?”
Lee Yeon-Soo cautiously interjected.
“Yeah. What is it?”
“When I fought him, I saw traces of black flames rising from Lee Ji-Seok’s neck.”
When he arrived late, he had seen the traces of black flames rising from Lee Ji-Seok’s neck.
It must have been an additional skill triggered by the arrow.
“Black flames…? Why are you telling me this now?!”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Ha, damn it. I finally found it.”
To think that that bastard had it.
“Hey, you two, don’t worry. I’ll cover for you somehow.”
“C-Cover?”
“Shield, you idiot. I’ll be your shield, so no one from Myth can touch you.”
“Th-Thank you…!”
Lee Hwa-Rang walked out.
Park Jin-Hyeok was waiting outside.
“How was it? Any leads?”
“Yeah. I finally found it.”
“You found it? Who is it?”
“A guy named Hoon in the Ho-Yeong Guild.”
“Oh, really?”
He hadn’t expected to find a clue here.
Perhaps it was true that you had to poke around mindlessly to get results?
“Yeah. I’m going to Ho-Yeong right now.”
“What? Hey!”
———