Chapter 183 - Only Once (7)
With a familiar sense of floatation, a holographic message announcing the mission appeared.
[Floor ?]
[Special event field.]
[Objective - Survive until being the last one!]
A scene of messy modern interiors was visible, with a torn bed and a fallen shelf.
It seems that this time I've also been summoned to an isolated building.
[Danger!]
[The field will shrink in 5 minutes!]
[Move to the safe zone marked on the map!]
The warning message appeared right at the beginning.
It seems they want to finish it quickly.
And there are also fewer competitors.
For me, that's welcome.
I searched for useful items as I inspected the interior of the building.
From a window, I saw the main competitors running across an intersection.
In total, three. They were running in the same direction, it seemed they would meet at the central area of the map. They had probably already finished forming alliances. Nine of them formed a team and decided to get rid of me first.
Given this scenario, I don't have much time.
I pulled out the weapon I found in the house.
And jumped out of the second-floor window.
[1 Kill!]
Clang!
A clear and beautiful sound resonated, and the man fell in the posture he was running.
The back of his head was dented.
A dagger flew out of the hand of the man next to him.
Clang! I deflected the dagger with the frying pan in my right hand and then lunged towards him, hitting his jaw upward. Pum! Then, I stomped my heel on the fallen man's nape.
"Argh!"
[2 Kills!]
The last man.
He's already running away.
I threw the frying pan as it was.
Pum!
The man, struck in the head by the corner of the frying pan, fell sideways.
I ran towards him and grabbed his neck. He wasn't dead yet.
"Where were you going to meet?"
Despite bleeding from his forehead, the man remained silent.
Just for a moment, his gaze shifted towards an abandoned building beyond the intersection.
‘That's the place, I see.’
It was easy to predict.
If scattered members could quickly gather at a notable place, it could only be there.
"That, crazy... even though you're so strong..."
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
I struck the fallen man's head with the frying pan five times.
[3 Kills!]
Only after hitting him five times could I get a death verdict.
‘If I delay, it will become problematic.’
They surely would have built barricades and gathered various magical items to fortify themselves.
Under normal circumstances, they would be comfortably farming items and camping.
‘Sigh.’
I ran down the main road with the dented frying pan in my hand.
[go(.)onewinch(.)tv/ - OW]
[Pick me Up! - Huh? Has an uncontrollable madman appeared in the Battle Royale?]
[BJ-Assalahikum]
[1,053 viewers]
‘What the hell?’
After the madman, an uncontrollable one?
Unfortunately, due to the viewer screen, the map was not visible.
However, I could see the viewer chats.
[RoadWarrior (HMDM11): Is that the madman? I think I've seen him before.]
[DietDouble: Only 5 minutes since the start and he already has 3 kills. Incredible...]
‘It's annoying.’
I minimized the broadcast screen to a corner and continued on my way.
On the way, I found a metal pipe with nails in an alley full of garbage.
And a minute later.
I could reach the rendezvous point.
The square in front of the abandoned building.
Three men and two women, five in total, were waiting for me.
They were armed with swords, spears, shields, and bows. They didn't conceal their presence, so they noticed me coming.
"You."
The man at the front, with a grave expression, spoke.
"Why?"
"Were you born with 4 stars...?"
"It can't be."
I held the frying pan in my left hand and the metal pipe in my right.
And 10 minutes later.
"..."
I was squatting on the ground in the square.
Tsk. I spat out the blood that had accumulated at the corner of my lips. I didn't expect there to be a Mage among them.
It was a tough blow. It took quite some time to handle it.
"Ugh... ah... ah...!" Painful cries echoed.
I looked back and saw five bodies piled up like blocks.
It seems the one on top was still alive. Judging by his wounds, he would die soon anyway.
"Monster..."
"I'm not a monster."
First, match the amount of training.
How can they lose against a frying pan with swords and spears?
I shook my head and stood up.
[Taiwan (No1): What? Won only with a frying pan?]
[Psyco53: He really is a psychopath haha]
[Sans (Papyrus): Wow! Frying pan! Metal pipe! PPAK!]
[Niceguy33: I think I've seen that guy before. Remember that viral video? Remember the hero who carried an incapable Master through the game?]
[ToMuch7: Ah! I remember that video, I was in LA at that time...]
[LastLive (Neven13): Isn't that Anything? Look him up. I think there's also a video of the updated 40th floor.]
[TooMuchPain (SeeyouAgain1): [Was that him? He was very strong! Why didn't he participate in the individual event? Couldn't he compete against Niflheim?]
There's only one left.
He's definitely here.
He seems to be a Rogue class, hiding.
I spun the blood-stained frying pan while saying:
"Come out in 10 seconds. If I catch you, you're dead."
"Ah, and if you don't catch me?"
"Either way, you'll die."
"This is madness!"
He disappeared without a trace.
How annoying.
If the Rogue blatantly hides, it's also troublesome for me to find him.
[Danger!]
[The field will shrink in one minute!]
[Move to the safe zone marked on the map!]
Right after the message, the curtains of the three-story building in front of me shook.
There he is. I stood up smiling.
With the blood-stained frying pan in hand.
[9 Kills!]
[#1/10]
[You have won the semifinal!]
[We look forward to your participation in tomorrow's final!]
I returned to the stadium.
"Congratulations on reaching the final." An employee next to the portal handed me a pass.
I looked around. The stadium was filled with noise, generated by the participants.
In addition to those who were eliminated, it seems there are some who passed before me.
It's not surprising. Since the field is small and there are few participants, some places ended very quickly depending on the situation.
['Ohoho! Fast, very fast. Reducing the number of participants was the solution! We should do the same for the next preliminary round of the 8th Festival!']
"Um, about that, it will be decided not to continue with this format in the 8th..."
['What did you say?']
In the center of the stadium, a large monitor showed the highlights of the games.
There were even images of my performance today. That would also contribute to my reputation. Yesterday, after the preliminaries ended, I left immediately, so I hadn't seen these highlighted videos.
I sat near the monitor in the waiting area.
It seemed like a good idea to spend the day watching game videos and looking for any troublesome individuals for the final. While doing that...
"You impressed me."
Suddenly, a can of drink extended towards me.
I took the can, somewhat puzzled.
"Winning with just that pan against nine people. Also yesterday. You're incredible."
"..."
"I'm Sadeine Nibel. And you?"
A woman with tied-up blonde hair sat next to me.
A familiar face.
"Han."
"Alright, Mr. Han. The reason I'm talking to you is..."
"For tomorrow's final, you want me to join your team, don't you?"
"...You're quite perceptive." Sadeine covered her mouth and laughed.
Then, she pointed behind her and said, "Those two behind me will be my teammates tomorrow. There are 100 participants in the final. Isn't the survival rate low if you act alone? Even if you're strong, if you get ambushed or encounter many opponents, it'll be difficult alone. Especially... for someone like you, who attracts attention."
Sadeine emphasized the phrase 'attracts attention'.
It makes sense. Just from circulating rumors, someone like me, a 'madman,' would be a priority target and receive concentrated attacks. In other words, my chances of winning aren't high.
"We'll welcome you. Other teams definitely won't."
"..."
I remained silent.
It was clear that this woman had spread rumors about me.
Talking with her, her purpose became clear.
'Join or die alone?'
It was a shrewd move.
I wouldn't lose anything by joining the team. If I move alone, they could attack me in a group.
If I join, they'll have a good additional strength.
"Think about it. You have 99 competitors tomorrow. Do you think you can beat them all alone? Wouldn't it be better to have an ally, even if you end up fighting against them later? It would be wiser."
"..."
"According to my research, you have good backing. The top external student of Niflheim. That deserves special treatment. What do you say? If you perform well in this tournament, I could ask my Master to pull you out of that outdated Lobby. You could come to ours."
I stayed silent, listening, as Sadeine coughed.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"I'm thinking."
I observed her team formation.
Sadeine is a Knight. The other two are Rogues. It seems the other two team members were eliminated in the preliminaries.
This Battle Royale has so many variables that even someone with 4-star birth could easily be eliminated.
'It would be troublesome to move alone.'
In this game, it's a fact that teams have a higher survival rate than solo players.
Plus, having Rogues who can do things I can't, like scouting and tracking, appealed to me. Even though their intentions were obvious.
If the three of them are from the same Lobby and are after the championship prize, when the last four remain, I'll be fighting 3 against 1.
If they're from the same team, it wouldn't matter who wins in the end.
"Don't underestimate me. Even if it seems so, I have an Engraving, and the other two do too. We started with 4 stars. We trust in ourselves three to start, but to avoid unforeseen circumstances..."
"Alright."
"Really?"
"I'll join."
Sadeine's face lit up.
"Then, this confirms the agreement. Come tonight to room 2101 of the hotel. We'll have a brief strategic meeting."
"..."
"Oh, by the way, if you betray us, you know, right? It's not about the event. The reputation among Masters is at stake. Your Master isn't all that, right? 40 levels, isn't it? You better keep the agreement if you don't want to taste something bitter."
'Too talkative.'
After pressing me several times with the threat that if I betray the team, her Master would retaliate, Sadeine left.
There's only one condition for the team to dissolve.
When there are four left.
As soon as the team dissolves, I'll be the target of concentrated attacks from the three.
It was a very predictable scenario.
I crossed my legs.
The game videos were still being broadcast on the monitor.
Tomorrow is the final of the Raid Festival.
The winner of the three events and the owner of the 5-star summoning ticket will be decided. Since I haven't heard from Jenna and Belkist, it seems they had no problems in the qualification process.
The final of the Battle Royale starts early in the morning.
If it ends quickly, maybe I can go watch other events.
It would have been enough, but I found a suitable opportunity.
'Not betray them?'
Of course, I won't do such a thing.
I don't want to create unnecessary problems.
It's just a small detour.
I took a sip from the cold soda can.
'This bastard...'
It was mint chocolate flavor.
