Chapter 97

Thud!

“Huff… Huff… I’m really gonna die…”

“Woah… How did you get here so quickly?”

Seong Jihan gazed at Yoon Seah, who sat down catching her breath, with a tilted head.

Judging by the footprints behind her, the weight of the armor seemed to be the same as before.

Could it be…

“Uncle. It seems like the silver map really is beneficial.”

Grin~

While still seated, Yoon Seah made a ‘V’ sign with her fingers.

“My stamina has increased.”

“You didn’t, by any chance…”

“Yes, I finally achieved my ‘goal’!”

Maybe it was due to the ‘Focused Growth’ that Lee Hayeon obtained.

In that short span of time, Yoon Seah’s stamina had already increased by 1.

‘So, her stamina has transformed into Perseverance.’

Even with the weight added by Ariel, seeing her run like that made it clear.

Her stamina had undoubtedly transformed into the rare stat ‘Perseverance’, which is twice as efficient.

“Good. Then, take off that armor and get ready for battle.”

“Got it!”

As if she had been waiting, Yoon Seah unequipped her full plate mail and picked up her bow.

“Time to seriously level up!”

With an arrow drawn from her inventory and set on the bowstring, Yoon Seah was burning with enthusiasm.

Now that she had gained Perseverance, only rapid leveling up was left.

“Alright. Today, I’ll take the lead and help you grow.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I’ll bring the minions, you just shoot.”

With a relaxed expression, Seong Jihan reached out towards the small army of minions, shaped like angels.

Suddenly, the shadow of the minions transformed into swords, stabbing them from behind.

Thud! Thud!

Unable to move with swords lodged in their chests, the group of minions.

Although small in size, they were as powerful as level 50 silvers.

But they couldn’t resist Seong Jihan’s shadow swords.

“Now.”

Without taking a step, Seong Jihan subdued the enemy troops.

Then, using Force, he dragged the skewered minions to Yoon Seah, lining them up in front of her.

“Shoot each one of them. Just give the finishing blow.”

– This is super easy.

– Talk about being carried LOL.

– Just carry? This is hard carry!

– Getting levels for free.

“Alright!”

Yoon Seah excitedly shot arrows at the dying minions.

Normally, bronze arrows would have been deflected by the minions.

But, immobilized by the shadow swords, they fell one by one.

After killing about ten of them…

“Wow, I’ve already leveled up!”

“Are you level 7 now? Let’s aim to surpass 10 today.”

“I’m up for it! Hehe.”

Before defeating Count Naseed and accumulating a 200% buff during their spare time,

Seong Jihan was determined to raise Yoon Seah’s level as much as possible.

“Isn’t this a bit too overpowered?”

“Hey, earlier was just for fun. Why don’t we just try Count Naseed together?”

The two players, who were killed by Seong Jihan and later revived, returned to the line and proposed that idea to him.

“No, just give my niece some experience.”

“What?”

Thud!

Like he did with the minions, Seong Jihan dragged the two players over and presented them to Yoon Seah.

“Damn…! This, this is unsportsmanlike!”

“Uncle, they’re saying you’re being unsportsmanlike?”

“It’s fine. The ones who came back here are the ones at fault.”

– I agree…

– Yeah, coming back after being defeated was their mistake LOL.

There wasn’t any reason to hear someone as rude as them.

The important thing is to level up Yoon Seah.

When Seong Jihan gestured, lightly running his finger across his throat,

“Oh~ Then I won’t refuse!”

Yoon Seah passionately fired arrows at the two who became her targets.

“Damn!”

“You’ll regr…!”

The two players died with fierce expressions.

Thud!

“Ah… seriously!”

“This isn’t right!”

In the second round, they tried to switch lines but were hopelessly suppressed.

“Can’t we even hit the minions?”

“I want to avoid being the worst in our team…”

Despite having towered in a different line for the third time, they were pulled without resisting, and instead of getting angry, they pleaded to at least let them hit the minions.

“We don’t have that luxury. Seah’s level has already reached 10.”

But Seong Jihan was firm.

“Please respawn quickly.”

“Damn it…”

“Forget it. I’m not playing anymore!”

Thud!

Raising their middle fingers, the two defeated players.

After experiencing their third death, they never returned to the line.

They simply decided to give up on this game.

“Seah, how much buff have you accumulated?”

“150%. 200% is the max, right?”

“Mmm. It’ll end soon then. I’ll roam the jungle. Ariel will help you get the remaining 50%.”

“Got it!”

Seong Jihan summoned Ariel on the lane where the enemy players gave up.

“Take care of Seah.”

“Understood, master. Can I push the tower?”

“Yes, let’s start taking them down.”

As a preparation to defeat Count Naseed.

They needed to push the enemies back to their base.

They had delayed to level up Yoon Seah, but now it’s time to make a move.

“Alright. I’ll start the push.”

Ariel said confidently, but…

[The Angel Faction’s 1st tower has been destroyed.]

The message that a tower was destroyed appeared.

And it wasn’t the mid that Barren was in, but…

“…How?”

It was in the top lane where Masied was.

* * * * *

“What… Who is this guy?”

Sophia looked at Masied in disbelief.

Masied, the ‘God of Soccer.’

He possessed a rare SSS-grade Gift, but due to the restriction that he must always have a soccer ball at his feet, he fell from being the world’s most revered soccer player to a laughingstock.

‘I wasn’t expecting anything because he’s often mentioned as a failed case of an SSS- grade… This is insane.’

The guild, now filled with the world’s most promising players, wondered why someone like Masied was there. Now she realized why.

“Fireball.”

A Fireball.

A common attack spell thrown by low-level wizards.

But when Masied unleashed it, it was entirely different.

The soccer ball at his feet ignited into a blazing red and swelled to an immense size.

It was no longer just a ball but a huge boulder.

Masied trapped the massive fireball with ease using his foot and then kicked it towards the enemy lines.

Boom!

“Crazy… Shield! Shieeeld!”

“Ah! The shield’s melting! Why is a Bronze so strong!”

“Was Sophia’s buff that good?”

“No! It’s not that overpowered!”

It must be because they’re both from the New York 1 area.

Guild members from Orange who know about Sophia’s buff.

They tried hard to block Masied’s fireball, but they were soon engulfed by the flaming mass.

“The buff…”

“Oh, yes!”

With Masied’s command, the extinguished ball returned.

He leisurely enchanted the ball, suppressing the minions.

Despite being in the 20s level Bronze range, Masied was leading the battle all by himself.

‘He moves incredibly fast.’

The minions he was dealing with were much higher in level.

Yet, Masied evaded their attacks effortlessly, approaching them and using his magic.

While mages usually keep their distance, Masied, on the other hand, closed in.

“I’ll push slowly. Lightning.”

Zzzzt!

This time, an orb infused with electricity.

Boom! Boom!

Masied subdued the minions one by one, like passing a ball.

While it didn’t seem more powerful than the fireball, the skill with which he controlled each one was exceptional.

“Wow…”

Sophia unconsciously let out words of admiration.

It was clear that Masied was once the ‘God of Soccer’ who once enraptured the world.

‘Is this what mastery is?’

A lonely craftsman, thinking only of soccer.

Even that unkempt, rough beard might have been due to his singular focus on soccer, neglecting everything else.

Just as she was having such generous thoughts about Masied,

“Hm?”

Masied, who was busily kicking the ball, suddenly stopped.

“Thank you, Kim Seongyong, for the 100GP donation. Thank you, Lee Jiseong, for the 200GP donation. Thank you, Park Youngpyo, for the 300GP donation.”

Masied, expressing gratitude for each donation in slightly awkward Korean.

Sophia tilted her head upon seeing this.

She didn’t understand the Korean words, but the way he kept bowing into thin air seemed like he was showing appreciation.

‘Is he getting a lot of donations?’

Barren would just nod whenever he received donations.

‘Despite his daunting look, he’s quite polite.’

That was a good thing.

Yet, even as Sophia viewed him favorably,

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you…”

Even when surrounded by minions, Masied kept repeating his thanks, making her feel increasingly restless.

“Masied! What are you doing? We’re surrounded!”

“I have to thank for the donations.”

“You have to limit it during battle!”

“He gave me 100GP, how can I cut it off?”

“100GP? Just for that?”

“Do you know how hard it is to earn 10,000 won? Ah, a mission…!”

Masied, who had been looking at Sophia as if she was an immature kid, had a viewer mission drop in front of him.

[Yoon Heungmin has sent a viewer mission.]

[Destroy the first tower.]

[Reward: GP 3,000]

“3…3,000GP?!”

Masied looked at the channel mission and immediately bowed 120 degrees.

“Th-thank you! The first tower is now mine!!!”

His voice was more polite than ever.

But the eyes beneath his bowed head were burning with fervor.

“Supporter. Full buff! Quick!”

“Wh-why?”

“3,000GP! I’ll take down the first tower! Fireball! Lightning! Magic missile!”

Masied started pouring all his magic into the orb.

The orb swelled up as if it would explode, merging the three spells.

“Quick! Buff!!!”

“Got it!”

With Sophia’s buff, Masied began to vigorously attack the tower.

Bang! Bang! Crash!

A magical mass as large as a house struck the tower.

In the game, a tower known to be tough beyond measure.

However, as Masied’s orb hit the tower again and again like rapid-fire artillery,

Crash!

In an instant, over half of its form crumbled and it was turning to rubble.

‘What? It’s really breaking…?’

But,

He’s just bronze, right?

Even if it’s a full buff, even if there’s an SSS-tier gift.

Is the tower allowed to be shattered this soon?

“Destroyed!”

Crash!

Looking at the completely obliterated tower, Sophia looked at Masied with a meaningful gaze.

‘…Robert will go all out for him.’

A player who bows several times even for a small donation, urgently in need of money.

For recruiting such a person, there was no one like Robert Gates, the chief scout of America First.

“Thank you, Yoon Heungmin! 3,000GP! Really appreciate it!”

Watching Masied react in Korean after completing the mission, Sophia smiled faintly.

‘We might soon belong to the same guild.’

To her, unaware that Masied owed debt to Seong Jihan, it was an obvious judgment.

* * * * *

As time passed,

“Let’s catch up now.”

Having completely cornered the enemy and gathered all 200% buffs, Seong Jihan’s party gathered near the valley where Count Naseed was hiding.