Chapter 78: How a Veteran Player Defends (3)

Chapter 78: How a Veteran Player Defends (3)

"Eat up, my cute little Cherry," Jinhyuk stroked the carnivorous plant that was blushing red. It had devoured all the food supplies in the warehouse, and its size and power were now beyond imagination.

At that moment,

"Kieeeek!"

A massive plant, towering at 10 meters, roared violently, shaking the atmosphere.

Players facing it must be living in a nightmare, despite the endearing nickname it had been given.

"It's coming!"

"Damn it, disperse everyone! We'll be wiped out if we bunch up!"

Kwakwakwakwa!

Giant tendrils swept through the interior of the supermarket in an instant.

"What the hell is this?!"

Hwangbo Gunak desperately dodged and yelled amidst the chaos.

"What?"

"If we destroy this stronghold right next to us, more zombies will head your way! Why would you do such a stupid thing?"

The fourth floor required a competitive approach but also a minimum level of cooperation. If 'that guy' were to awaken, it could mean death for everyone involved, even if they were members of the Martial Forest residing on the 20th floor.

'That stupid player wouldn't know that.'

He wouldn't dare do such a thing if he knew the consequences of his actions. Hwangbo Gunak clicked his tongue in frustration inside.

But then.

"It looks like they fear the queen."

The words that came from Jinhyuk's mouth completely overturned expectations.

"Do you... know about the queen?"

"Of course, I do."

There are two ways to earn special rewards on the fourth floor.

The first is to achieve the highest kill count.

The second is to be elected as the most popular stronghold through subscriber voting.

Like this.

However, there is, in fact, another method to earn rewards.

The third method which can never be obtained by conventional means.

The hidden quest 'The Womb of the Dead.'

Defeating the queen of zombies is actually the biggest reward one can achieve on this floor.

"I can't believe it. How can a human who's barely entered the tower..."

"If one of the major strongholds guarded by more than 200 players gets destroyed before the third wave, a special event occurs. Just like now."

'I found out about this method through a sneaky little trick with a cheap clay doll.'

It was unheard of for a major stronghold guarded by more than 200 people to fall before the third wave. If humanity's power is known to be overwhelmingly weak, the queen who controls the zombies awakens. It means she will personally move to the human strongholds to annihilate the worthless foes.

As Jinhyuk responded fluently, Hwangbo Gunak lost any reason to doubt further.

It's true.

He knows everything.

"Do you intend to invite her over knowing about the queen's existence?"

"I'm not keen on blocking all 50 waves of zombies one by one. It's boring. And not to mention incredibly tiring for body and mind."

If they progressed normally, they would be stuck in this gloomy ruin for weeks on end.

But why take the harder path when there's an easy way out?

Originally, he was going to tackle this straightforwardly. It would have required a massacre of the regular players to crumble a major stronghold within three waves. But his plans changed the moment he encountered them. And since they chose the supermarket as one of the large strongholds.

There was no reason to feel any guilt toward those who brandished the sword first.

"Your stronghold is now completely shattered."

No matter how skilled the mid-level warriors are, fighting zombies without a stronghold is an impossible task. The scale of their forces and the limit of physical stamina are walls that an individual cannot overcome.

"So with the time you have left. Let's see how skillfully you can survive."

With his goal here achieved, it was time for Jinhyuk to leave.

He turned around without hesitation.

"You're going to run away just after mouthing off! Think you can get out alive?"

Kakakang!

Sparks flew from Jegalcheon's sword.

However, Jinhyuk walked out of the supermarket, paying no heed to Jegalcheon.

He saw no reason to engage any further.

Already.

"Kieeeeeek!"

The plant that would turn the stronghold into complete ruins firmly covered his back.

***

At the same time.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Kwaaang!

At the Sangam Stadium, a mad surge of black waves pounded against a rock plant.

[The Rock Plant has activated Lv.1 'Deep Roots'!]

Its solid steep body made it difficult for the zombies to climb over. But then the zombies started using their bodies as footholds to climb up.

"Grrrr!"

"Kraaa!"

The zombies being crushed under the weight didn't feel pain to begin with. However, the moment the first zombie climbed over the protective plant and entered the stadium.

"Kie?"

A shadow loomed over the zombie's head.

[The Thud Plant has used Lv.1 'Full Body Leap'!]

Kwoooong!

A heavy Thud Plant, easily weighing several tons, flattened the zombie on impact.

The Ice Plant blasted chilling frost, slowing down the zombies' movement speed.

It was a flawless defense.

The remaining four players only needed to handle the clean-up.

"......It's truly amazing. Already autonomous defensive capabilities without player intervention. Did Jinhyuk calculate all of this?"

Teresa muttered in a mix of admiration and awe. The scene was almost unbelievable.

"If it's my brother, he probably did."

"We used to follow our brother around, and thought we knew a lot about him, but to see it like this, I can't help but feel like there's still so much more to learn."

Taemin Lee and Yeonhwa Yu added their comments.

"......"

On the other hand, Chanyuseong's face was scrunched up with dissatisfaction. It was frustrating to see the extraordinary monster that he had to overcome as a rival.

Not only the individual combat skills but also designing situations was extremely difficult to deal with.

Then.

[The major stronghold 'Supermarket' has fallen.]

A status window suddenly appeared before everyone.

"What, what is this?"

Teresa exclaimed in surprise.

"If it's the supermarket, that's where those Chinese players were earlier. It's fallen?"

"That's impossible......"

"Could it... have something to do with our brother?"

The timing of the supermarket's fall and Jinhyuk leaving with a big smile matched too precisely.

Moreover, it was inconceivable that such a powerful stronghold was breached by just the second wave of zombies - unless something unusual had happened.

There was no mistake.

Something extraordinary was happening.

And to prove it.

[A special event has occurred.]

[Due to the weakened players, the ruler of the 4th floor, 'Pendariel,' is on the move.]

A red status window followed.

"The ruler of the 4th floor... What is that?"

"That can't be right. Wasn't this place only about defending against the zombie waves?"

Even Taemin Lee and Yeonhwa Yu, frequent visitors of this floor, had never heard of Pendariel. Naturally, the others also had no clue about the existence of such a being.

"Looks like something big is being planned."

Chanyuseong murmured, looking beyond the stadium.

***

Jinhyuk left the supermarket and hopped across building rooftops, searching for an appropriate place to use an item.

After a while,

'This is it.'

He stopped.

There were multiple strongholds around, causing complex magic flows, and it was not too far from the Sangam Stadium.

Perfect.

Jinhyuk took out a small pebble from his spatial inventory. It was a special item acquired after defeating Mu Hon, the boss monster of the third floor.

'The Stone that Obscures the Sun.'

[The Stone that Obscures the Sun]

Difficulty of acquisition: Unknown

Content: A holy relic used in ancient Mayan rituals, capable of obscuring the sun and summoning darkness. When used, it reduces the power of the Five Elements (Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Light) by 50% and increases the power of darkness attributes by 100%.

[Rampage mode is forcibly activated.]

An item that should never be used on the fourth floor, as most players' abilities correspond to one of the Five Elements.

On the other hand, zombies, attributed to darkness and affected by rampage mode, would have their movement and attack speeds doubled.

Yet.

Crack!

Ignorant of all this, Jinhyuk shattered the pebble.

Fragments scattered across the rooftop.

And at that moment.

Wooong!

Darkness devoured the sun. A thick blanket began to cast a shadow over the building.

The difficulty of conquering the fourth floor would skyrocket.

This was not merely for the thrill; triggering danger on purpose would commence another event.

[Human. What think?]

A message that only boss monsters could use appeared - similar to the one that Elise had used in the corridor.

"You seem intent on turning all the strongholds to dust, am I right?"

[Just. Scouts. Can't stop. No need to save strength. For them.]

"Stop messing with the other strongholds and come to me. That Sangam Stadium you see behind me is my hold."

[Human. Alone. Sacrifice. You?]

"It's not a sacrifice but more like, zombies are too easy for me, even a million of them."

[Easy? Me and my children?]

Pendariel's voice changed. While its primitive way of talking remained, the tone now seeped with rage. It must be infuriated; after all, its position as the floor boss was belittled by a mere human.

"Challenge me with everything you have. I'll wipe it all clean."

Jinhyuk taunted.

[Fine. Human. Your hold. I'll smash first. And warn all humans. They will regret. Challenging us.]

The message of the queen ended there.

Soon, her wrath-filled forces would swarm towards this place.

'Was it broadcasted well?'

Jinhyuk checked the broadcasting system.

[Edited footage from 'Supermarket' up to a short while ago is currently being uploaded.]

Confirming the upload of the footage, Jinhyuk clenched his fist.

'Good.'

Everything went according to plan.

The foolish Chinese players failed to protect a stronghold, triggering the hidden quest.

It was a situation requiring the worst-case scenario preparations.

At that moment, Player Kang Jinhyuk chose to risk himself to save everyone.

He used 'The Stone that Obscures the Sun' to make the zombies swarm to his stronghold.

To everyone, it will seem he's a hero.

But.

'Rewards for most kills and popular vote. Plus the boss monster reward - I'll take it all.'

Jinhyuk's lips curled upwards.

Saving people was just an added bonus.

His main goal was to sweep all the rewards.

Creating a perfect opportunity to monopolize the support of the masses and the benefits.

Through the strength of no one else but.

'Himself.'