#Player with Maxed-Out Talent – Episode 71

The inevitable cannot be prevented.

“Even if not today,” I mused, recognizing that such an event would happen sooner or later. A gathering of players is bound to be organized sometime, and this ‘event’ will inevitably occur within. Hence, I made a judgement to do my best within the limits of what I could control and the knowledge I possessed.

“I’m going in.”

[You have entered the Sudden Gate – ‘Wind Blown Hill’.]

This place was shaped like a large hill. I looked around. Players who had yet to grasp the situation properly were scattered about.

‘Even without knowledge of the future… it makes sense for things to unfold this way if you think about it from a distance.’ Early players, and among them, mostly those who had been chosen as outstanding ones. From the point of view of broadcasters and guardians, wouldn’t this be a big event? An assembly of players, unrelated to the ‘system’. It would certainly be interesting if some ‘incident’ occurred here.

‘Just like the Giant of the Sunset did.’

The Giant of the Sunset created the ‘Short Table Dungeon’ for Kang Sang-goo, likely investing an incredible amount of coins. A guardian-style luxury for their own amusement and pleasure. There are plenty of guardians who can afford such indulgences.

‘Creating a Sudden Gate should be no big deal for them.’

It’s impossible to confirm whether a guardian artificially created a ‘gate’, it’s just a high probability assumption.

‘Broken pillars.’

There were marble pillars of various heights scattered about, broken and fragmented. In the past, Kwak Tae-woon had revealed this information.

-There were 18 broken pillars there.

At that time, many discovered Ma Sang-hyun. He had already become famous, frequently appearing in the media.

“Hey, isn’t that the Tutorial Conqueror?”

“It’s Ma, Ma Sang-hyun!”

The milling players’ attention quickly focused on Ma Sang-hyun.

‘It’s disappointing though, more than I thought.’

It’s only been four months since the great upheaval but the level of disarray is severe.

‘But I have been inside this place for 3 minutes now.’

Still, players running confusedly around. There doesn’t seem to be any who try to understand the terrain here. Of course, some players, recognizable to me, were calmly assessing the surroundings and attempting to clear the Sudden Gate,

‘But no player with leadership is visible.’

Normally, in the case of gates or dungeons where a majority are allowed to enter at once, it’s nearly impossible to clear them alone. Even if you know the strategy, you can’t clear it alone.

‘I shouldn’t expect too much in the early stages…’

At least some should step forward to gather the players and assign roles appropriate to each person’s characteristics and class. The absence of a leader or sovereign. That’s the biggest problem right now.

I spoke,

“Sang-hyun. Take charge as the frontline leader.”

“Yes, y-yes?”

“Why? Haven’t you done it before?”

During the three months I spent in the ‘Unknown Forest’, Ma Sang-hyun must have grown too. Fitting the title of ‘Tutorial Conqueror’, he must have experienced being a leader several times. That kind of notoriety can be a powerful asset in such situations.

“It’s not that… but me… how can I dare…”

It seems to mean something like ‘How can I dare to do that when you, the elder brother, are here?’

“I’m not famous, am I? Will my words carry weight to them?”

Ma Sang-hyun’s hesitant gaze shifted slightly. Does the position make the man? It seemed his responsibility had changed his outlook as he thought of leading the players.

“The wind is getting strange.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s a faint wind carrying mana. It feels different from natural wind. If by any chance the wind blows hard… tell everyone to lie flat on the ground. Many times. It’s okay to warn several times. The upper wind is also becoming worrisome.”

That’s all I can do at this moment.

“Understood, hyung-nim.”

I don’t think I can save everyone here. Even if I say, “This and that will happen here, so everyone listens to me!” I would be fortunate not to be treated like a madman.

‘I can’t save everyone.’

Some will surely perish. I’m just doing the best I can.

[Monsters have appeared.]

Along with the alert, a solemn wind blew. Many heroic tales and promotional videos were produced based on what Kwak Tae-woon had said, and I vaguely recall them.

-A slight wind began to blow, and ghostly monsters appeared from all around. They were the non-physical combat monsters, Wraiths.

A slightly grim wind.

‘Ghost-type monsters. Wraiths.’

Their average level is around 20, floating spirits shaped like large seagulls. Apart from the fact that ‘physical attacks’ are not possible, they aren’t particularly strong monsters.

──────────

Wraith-LV 21

──────────

“There’s a monster.”

Some had apparently tried to attack.

“Attacks don’t hit!”

“Can’t attack!”

A giant seagull-shaped monster. It embraced a player with its wings and pecked at the player’s head with its beak.

“Uh, Aaahh!”

Loud screams filled the air.

‘Does it hurt that much?’

No, it doesn’t hurt that much. Although it would cause some pain, it’s not a life-threatening attack. Wraiths are not very strong monsters.

‘Pitiful.’

Perhaps I am partly to blame. The ‘Seoul Station Dungeon’, which should have faced several breakdowns, I may have cleared it too quickly. It could have been that the players lost one way to become stronger by themselves.

A loud kiai could be heard.

“Uratcha!!!”

I recalled what someone had once documented.

-Uratcha! A loud kiai was heard. Kim Tae-cheon, now nicknamed ‘Bear’, let out the cry. He had been enjoying an overwhelming victory in a PVP with Kwak Tae-woon. He was full of confidence. It took him just around 80 seconds to demolish a pillar with his massive axe.

There are 18 broken pillars here. Each pillar destroyed brings about slight changes.

A huge arrow alert spread over the entire field.

[↙↙↙↙↙↙↙]

I steeled myself quietly. A potent wind was about to lash out. Winds that make it hard to even keep your footing.

-The wind began to blow. Players couldn’t hold their own. We realized that the direction of the arrows was indicative of the wind’s direction.

Soon enough, the wind whipped up a gale. My party members were my responsibility.

“Everyone, lie flat on the ground.”

The wind which made it difficult to keep upright began to blow.

‘It won’t blow us away though.’

No doubt the wind is strong, but everyone here is a player. Players can withstand such winds. But it’s better to react a bit excessively. We never know when a ‘gusty wind’ will arise. The more pillars destroyed, the sooner a strong wind differing from the current one will blow.

‘If the pillars are smashed, a central pillar will surface.’

Kwak Tae-woon reminisced.

-I destroyed the seventh pillar, and a gigantic pillar was created. It was called the ‘Central Pillar’, and upon it rested the secret to clearing the stage.

Either way, up to seven must be destroyed without question.

-Looking back now, destroying only 12 to 13 of the 18 pillars might have been the ideal way to clear.

The wind grows fiercer as more pillars are broken, and the ‘Wraiths’ grow increasingly fierce. New monsters might also appear, potentially leading to countless players losing their lives.

‘The more pillars are broken, the lower the central pillar gets.’

We’re only on the first one now. The strong wind has started to blow, but the ‘Wraiths’ are still weak.

‘And still, they are non-physical monsters.’

Kim Tae-cheon shrugged his shoulders and took a confident stance. He spoke loudly.

“Seeing that we can attack the broken pillars, I think that’s what we have to do with them.”

Brashly swinging his axe, he began smashing another pillar.

──────────

Ruined Temple’s Pillar

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Setting: Attackable. Hearing that, players also started demolishing the pillars in their own ways.

I spoke to Kang Sang-goo.

“You hunt as many Wraiths with your magic as you can.”

“Me, m-me?”

His body was shivering.

“Damn, I get scared of ghosts.”

But knowing it’s not the time to joke, Kang Sang-goo shivered and headed towards where the Wraiths were clustered.

“Seon-hwa will provide support.”

“Got it.”

Seon-hwa followed after Kang Sang-goo. Shin Yeon-seo then asked me.

“And me? What should I do?”

“Smash the pillars with Ma Sang-hyun. But don’t overdo it.”

I offered more advice.

“Make sure you conserve your stamina. Be ready for other monsters that might pop up. You’re the most agile of us, so if something unexpected happens, stick with me.”

“Okay. Got it.”

Shin Yeon-seo beamed a smile.

“See, it’s reassuring to play with you. It feels so clear knowing exactly what my role is. As expected from our captain!”

With a thumb thrust high in approval, Shin Yeon-seo moved towards the pillars using her Cheonma Bibo technique. The work of demolishing the pillars was underway everywhere. In the meantime, Ma Sang-hyun, the ‘Tutorial Conqueror’, was appointed as the interim ‘Party Leader’, a role representing the players by popular demand.

Ma Sang-hyun spoke quite impressively.

“We will not destroy them all at once. We need to observe any changes each time a pillar is destroyed.”

Kwak Tae-woon, who had been silent thus far, finally spoke up.

“Uhm…”

After a hesitant pause, Kwak Tae-woon asked,

“What should I do?”

I knew it would be this way. You can’t strongarm or drag Kwak Tae-woon; he needs to be led to move on his own accord. The Kwak Tae-woon I have figured out was just like this, and he now acted exactly as I thought he would.

“Hmm.”

I had taken the bait, but I intended not to rush things.

“Shall we just form a party first? Those guys were originally in my party already.”

“Sounds good.”

We formed a party.

‘You’re the key to this raid.’

The ‘Central Pillar’ cannot be cleared without Kwak Tae-woon’s ability. His unique ability is essential, the ‘Stepping Foot’. That’s what I know. And with my assistance, we should be able to clear it more safely and quickly.

“Help Kang Sang-goo and maintain your stamina while hunting Wraiths. Don’t push too hard, just warm up. Grab any dropped items you can.”

Now it’s important to sync up with Kang Sang-goo. This would ultimately be the key to clearing. I trust they’ll perform well without my explicit instructions. They’re both geniuses, not a domain to be influenced by mere words.

“Um…”

Again, Kwak Tae-woon hesitated.

“Is it alright if I call you hyung?”

There was a slight tremble in his voice. Why is he so nervous about something so trivial? It’s amusing to think that Kwak Tae-woon, the typhoon of the future, is like this.

“Call me whatever you’re comfortable with. We’re close in age anyway.”

“Please speak comfortably to me too.”

Kwak Tae-woon was infamous for not opening up to others easily.

‘But the teenage Kwak Tae-woon is quite easygoing.’

It seemed he had opened up.

“If anything other than Wraiths appear, gather the others and join me. Kang Sang-goo and Seon-hwa will understand if you tell them this.”

“Understood.”

Kwak Tae-woon joined Kang Sang-goo’s side.

‘Then I might as well… join Ma Sang-hyun.’

Just then, another pillar crumbled. Ma Sang-hyun shouted loudly.

“Stop!”

I couldn’t expect them to halt in unison. It wasn’t until the command was relayed through several intermediaries that all the players finally stopped. From a future standpoint, it’s an unfortunate progression.

[↗↗↗↗↗↗↗]

Following the signal, the wind began to blow again.

‘The wind is definitely stronger now.’

A few quick thinkers and players who heard Ma Sang-hyun’s command to ‘lie down!’ did just that. In the meantime, unaffected by the wind, the Wraiths started their assault.

‘Seon-hwa looks… alright.’

Most of the aggro was held by Kang Sang-goo, Kwak Tae-woon, and Kim Seon-hwa. They weren’t taking much damage from the Wraiths’ attacks. Thanks to them, our side’s players could focus on ‘pillar destruction’ without worrying too much about the Wraiths.

The third pillar fell. Ma Sang-hyun exclaimed.

“Everyone, lie flat on the ground!”

Most players seemed accustomed to this by now and quickly complied. However, a few still ignored Ma Sang-hyun’s command.

“It’s fine just standing still.”

“Don’t understand why we have to keep lying down.”

“Seems a bit over the top…”

If we were to calculate the ratio, around 90 percent followed Ma Sang-hyun’s directions, leaving 10 percent who did not. Then, the fourth pillar met the same fate, and the number of players simply standing increased, having realized they wouldn’t be harmed even if they didn’t lie down.

“See? It’s fine just standing here.”

“Jeez, made us unnecessarily tired.”

There were loud grumbles of discontent. By this point, Ma Sang-hyun must be feeling offended, but he faithfully followed my words. He repeatedly urged everyone to lie down since the wind was escalating. Lying down significantly mitigates the wind’s impact.

“The wind isn’t trivial. Please follow my instructions, I would be grateful!”

He said this, but Ma Sang-hyun had no authority or power to enforce it. Some began to reject his advice. Even Kim Tae-cheon, stripped of control, outright mocked him.

“Aren’t we men? Scared over nothing, shaking like a leaf. Come on. Let’s just keep breaking the pillars!”

Several players agreed with Kim Tae-cheon’s stance. I just watched the scene. I’m not Superman. I have no right to compel them to obey. I’m certainly not a saint. Their decisions were their own. I had done my part through Ma Sang-hyun.

The fifth, then the sixth pillars shattered. The number of arrows increased from seven to ten.

[↙↙↙↙↙↙↙↙↙↙]

Then a powerful wind howled, a whirlwind, ‘gusty wind’.

“AAAAAAAAAHHH!”

Someone’s body was lifted into the air, high off the ground. I clenched my eyes shut…