RG 70

“I’m buffing now!”

As soon as the countdown ended and the caster’s shout announced the start of the competition, Han Go-eun used the skill she had mentioned earlier.

A gentle breeze wrapped around Ryu Seonghyeon’s body, and with a ‘ding,’ a notification popped up.

《Skill: Wind of Endurance (Class A) applied! (Caster: Han Go-eun)》

《A protective shield is formed. (Duration: 1 minute 30 seconds)》

《Defense increases. (Duration: 1 minute 30 seconds)》

《Recovery rate increases. (Duration: 1 minute 30 seconds)》

《Evasion rate increases. (Duration: 1 minute 30 seconds)》

I confirmed that the light breeze was forming a rounded shield around us.

Han Go-eun, a buff-Support type, had a skill that generated a protective shield using wind. It was rare even among A-class skills to provide three buffs at once. So, both Ryu Seonghyeon and I, who were responsible for disrupting the opposing team, received the buffs.

I looked across the arena at Ronic, who was cautiously closing the distance between us, and said to Ryu Seonghyeon, “I’m going in now.”

“Wait, what? Hunter Cover!” Before Ryu Seonghyeon could stop me, I pushed off the ground and leaped forward. His urgent shout followed me from behind, “Hold on, if you go alone…!”

— Ah, Hunter Cover! Moving first right at the start of the match!

Ignoring Ryu Seonghyeon’s voice, I kept sprinting straight ahead. The opposing team hesitated, startled by how quickly I closed the gap without hesitation.

“What’s with this crazy guy?!”

Even though the players’ skills and positions were shared before the match, the first clash usually began cautiously.

In this twisted world, torn flesh and flowing blood weren’t anything special anymore. The reality was, over 2,000 people came all the way here to watch this competition, fully knowing that. But even so, this wasn’t a game. Even though there was an emergency team on standby to treat injuries and plenty of healing items, getting hit by weapons or skills still hurt.

So, what I was doing wasn’t just reckless; it was outright stupid. If I got impaled by a weapon or my flesh seared by a skill, there’d be no excuse for me.

“Get him!”

“He’s S-class. Use your skills first, no matter what!”

A sharp, bladed boomerang flew toward me at high speed, followed by a thick, black rope wrapping around my body. Compared to Kwon Taehyeok’s sword, it was so sluggish, and slower than Eun Woojeong’s chains. But I didn’t dodge; instead, I deliberately let them hit me.

Shhhk. The spinning boomerang grazed my neck, sending a sharp sting of pain through me.

— What a reckless move.

— Charging in like that is dangerous! He could get seriously hurt!

— Does he have a plan?

“Hunter Cover!”

As multiple wounds appeared on my body, Ryu Seonghyeon, who had been following behind, cried out in shock and hastily used his skill.

Brilliant light rapidly took shape and shot out in several directions. The beams of light flew like snakes, severing the ropes coiled around my arms and legs and deflecting the incoming boomerang. The speed at which the light took shape had definitely increased, perhaps thanks to the item I gave him last time.

‘But this still isn’t enough.’

I had made it clear. Now wasn’t the time for defense—it was time for offense. I wasn’t meant to be the star of this match. True victory would only come if Ryu Seonghyeon and Circle won through their own efforts.

‘There’s no way Ryu Seonghyeon could ignore someone walking straight into the jaws of danger.’

Of course, I knew it wasn’t possible for someone who had spent so long living defensively to change instantly. It didn’t matter whether he trusted me or not. Given Ryu Seonghyeon’s personality, if someone who came to help him was in danger, he’d do whatever it took to save them. That was enough for me.

“Do more.”

So I needed to make the situation even more dangerous. I didn’t dodge the relentless onslaught of skills; I took them head-on, gripping my sword.

Boom!

I swung my sword at a Ronic guild member who had attacked Kim Suho, and the opponent recoiled in fear. The blade hit the ground with a deafening crash, shattering the arena floor.

Waaaaah!

The ground shook, and dust billowed up as the spectators roared in excitement, thrilled now that the real fight had begun.

“That guy’s insane, totally insane!”

“Don’t run away, get your weapons ready!”

When I didn’t back down and kept charging forward, Ronic finally realized the situation and frantically raised their weapons, launching a counterattack.

Boom, boom!

A fireball flew at me from the front, crashing into the ground and sending waves of heat everywhere. In the brief moment when my view was obscured by the smoke and flames, a sharp spear tip suddenly emerged through the red blaze.

“Ugh…!”

I stifled a groan as the spear grazed my side, then threw myself into the flames. The searing heat passed quickly, and the Ronic guild member holding the spear appeared before me.

Startled by the sight of me charging through the fire unscathed, the enemy hastily swung their spear again. I twisted my body, narrowly avoiding the strike, and closed the distance in an instant, swinging my fist.

Smack!

“Gah!”

The opponent crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath after taking a direct hit to the jaw.

“You bastard!”

Another guild member, enraged after witnessing their comrade getting knocked out, furrowed his brow and fired his gun at me.

Bang, bang!

Just before the specially crafted bullets could strike my shoulder, a faint golden barrier appeared, deflecting the shots.

I turned to see Ryu Seonghyeon, who had finally caught up to me, rushing over with a pale face, clearly shaken. He spoke up, his expression showing clear displeasure. “Was this what you meant?”

Pressing my foot down on the shoulder of the Ronic guild member who was struggling to get up, I replied, “What do you mean?”

“When you said our allies would get hurt…”

“That’s not what’s important right now.” I nodded toward the gloves he was wearing and continued. “I didn’t give you those just to create a shield that blocks a few bullets.”

Ryu Seonghyeon hesitated for a moment, his gloved fingertips trembling slightly. He let out a complicated sigh before slowly summoning his energy.

Suddenly, an intense light erupted from him, brighter than ever before. The light condensed and shot upward, soaring to the ceiling, where it expanded and burst like fireworks against the glass.

“Wow!”

“So pretty!”

The audience marveled at the spectacle, as the golden lights scattered like stars in the night sky.

But then, the mood shifted. The lights hanging in the air began to fall, streaking down like a meteor shower. The Ronic guild members, who had been staring up in awe, instinctively took a step back.

“H-huh?”

“Hold on, this is…!”

A wave of killing intent washed over the arena, so strong that even I felt tense. The beautiful lights rapidly descended and slammed into the ground like missiles, embedding themselves into the earth.

BOOM! CRASH!

“Take cover!”

“Ahhh!”

“There’s too many of them!”

The barrage of light spheres continued relentlessly, each impact accompanied by powerful explosions that shook the ground. Screams and the sound of destruction filled the arena.

— Incredible! Light is falling from the sky!

— This is the first time we’ve seen Ryu Seonghyeon use his skill like this. He must have resolved to give it his all!

— Ronic’s formation is completely ruined. While it doesn’t look like anyone’s gravely injured, it’ll take them a while to regroup.

— It seems that was the plan. With Hunter Ryu Seonghyeon and Hunter Cover advancing, their goal was clearly to disrupt the formation.

Cough, cough.

Dust filled the air around me. I coughed a few times and glanced around.

‘To think he’d choose this method.’

I hadn’t expected instant results after just a bit of advice and throwing myself into danger. Still, this wasn’t bad. It was probably the first time Ryu Seonghyeon had used his skill for a wide-area attack. Now that the ice was broken, things would only get easier from here.

Thanks to that, we successfully disrupted Ronic’s formation. Now was the time for me to take action. I pushed through the dust, moving toward my target.

Since I had seen where they tried to flee before the lights fell, it wasn’t hard to find my first target, groaning and clutching the broken arena floor. He was the one who had swung a spear at me earlier and taken a punch to the jaw.

“Hello there.”

“Wh-what the hell?”

The Ronic guild member was bleeding from his forehead, likely from hitting his head while trying to escape the explosions. Looking down at him, I grabbed the sheath of my sword instead of the blade.

Realizing something was wrong, the man panicked and shouted, “Don’t come any closer!”

I ignored him, raising the sheath high and swinging it down.

Thwack!

“Argh!”

With a sickening crack, the sheath connected with his head, and the man crumpled to the ground. Trembling, he cowered in fear, but I didn’t stop. I continued to strike him with the sheath.

Smack! Crack! Thud!

“Guh, y-you psycho…”

Thwack! Smack! Thud!

“S-stop! I’m sorry!”

Despite his pleas, I didn’t relent. By the time I was done, the A-class Ronic guild member, who had taken a thorough beating, lay unconscious. Pleased with the sight, I turned to find my next target.

The dust had cleared enough that I quickly spotted the second one.

“Heh.”

I chuckled darkly from behind my mask and sprinted toward him. The second target, who had been crawling out from under the debris, didn’t even see me coming before my kick smashed into his face.

“What the hell is this guy?! Gah!”

Crack! Thwack! Thud! Smack!

The familiar sound of my sheathed sword beating down echoed as I thoroughly pummeled the second one. The audience and commentators, having noticed my actions, started murmuring.

— Hunter Cover is attacking another Ronic player quite aggressively!

— That player appears to be Hunter Lee Seongho.

— Does Cover have a personal grudge? His persistence is impressive.

— And as I’m saying this, the first player has been eliminated. That’s Ronic’s Kim Kihyeok.

— He’s suffered severe bruising and passed out. Let’s take a look at the replay.

[Main Quest: Win the Competitive Battle against the Ronic Guild alongside the Circle Guild. (Time Remaining: 3 hours 37 minutes)]