Chapter 61 : Chapter 61

Chapter 61 - Joint Subjugation (1)

When it came to the Field near the Tower, it was, in fact, a place steeped in various memories for a veteran like me.

Not just for veterans, but for any Conqueror player, the Field was bound to be steeped in all sorts of emotions. After all, the time spent in the game was overwhelmingly more in the Field than inside the Tower.

The inside of the Tower was where the real game content was, a place where you could only barely clear by struggling for your life. It wasn't a place to relax, that's what I meant.

However, the Field had a lower difficulty, and unless there was a special event, demonic beasts spawned infinitely, making it the perfect place for ‘experiments’.

Ah, it brings back old memories.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this place was responsible for about half of the process of my complete fermentation into a veteran.

Learning the habits of demonic beasts, studying their patterns, honing my fundamentals. And so on.

It felt similar to how a successful sports athlete might look around the gym where they had practiced for decades.

Just how much time had I poured into this place alone to succeed in the ‘no equipment, no hit, no skill, all parry, only basic attacks’ playstyle I aimed for when I saw the ending for the last time?

This place had undoubtedly made a significant contribution to the birth of a top-tier veteran who could defeat even the final boss with just a pair of panties on the character and bare hands.

In that sense.

This place was no different from a walk in my front yard.

I could probably clean up this entire place by myself in half a day.

That's how lenient the Field near the Tower was, enough for a bottom-tier F-grade Climber to boast so confidently.

Usually, that is.

“The numbers are beyond our expectations! Casualties are mounting, you must retreat now!”

“Damn it! What the hell did the Observation department see to call this an easy subjugation...!”

And this veteran’s assessment of the current situation.

“Well now. What a mess.”

It was a total mess.

***

Let's rewind time by a few hours.

“...Wow.”

Beside me, Seo Ah-in let out a dazed sound of admiration.

Normally, I would have chided her to get a grip, but I didn't feel like it in this situation.

That was because it was a magnificent sight with all three of Korea's major guilds gathered.

Hunting Alliance, Jeokpungdae, Daeshinjeon.

The sight of them, dressed in uniforms emblazoned with their respective guild emblems and lined up in neat rows and columns on the Field, exuded a momentum that would impress anyone.

“...”

And seeing that, Seo Ah-in's gaze flickered between me and those Climbers, as if comparing something.

“What.”

“...Those people are all dressed up so splendidly. What on earth did you bring, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik?”

“Camping gear.”

“...”

A radio, a folding chair, instant coffee, things like that.

Outdoor living essentials.

“...I assume you won’t answer even if I ask why you brought those things?”

“Yup.”

“I thought so.”

I chuckled at Seo Ah-in's quick resignation and turned my head again.

‘The people in command are...’

They were all familiar faces.

Seo Hye-in of the Hunting Alliance. Jeong Woo-jin of Jeokpungdae. Sepia of Daeshinjeon.

This was another reason why this joint subjugation was important.

It was a place where all the people I would be seeing quite often in the future had gathered.

“Ah, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik!”

And as if she had spotted me, Ms. Seo Hye-in approached me with light, quick steps.

Her voice was bright, a slight departure from her usual image.

“Did I hear that right? Was that really Section Chief Seo’s voice?”

“Everyone has their personal circumstances. Why, Section Chief Seo is also getting on in years...”

“Ah, right. She must be getting conscious of what others think, and when people around you are getting married one by one while you're all alone...”

“...”

These geezers.

They must have been chosen as elites from a large guild like the Hunting Alliance to be here.

But the way they were busy gossiping behind her back was like a bunch of housewives at a laundry place.

Though they all coughed awkwardly and turned their heads away when Seo Hye-in glared at them.

And when Seo Hye-in's face turned back to me, a smile like a blooming flower was on her lips.

“...”

How should I put it?

The change in temperature was so drastic it was a bit hard to accept.

It wasn't a shrewd feeling like Darien's, but rather, her straightforwardness was disarming.

Even her own sister, Seo Ah-in, had a shocked expression, as if she had just seen a flying spaghetti monster.

“So you’ve come as well, Mr. Kim Gyu-sik. I heard you received a recommendation from Climber Kim Kang-in.”

“...Has that already become a rumor?”

“Wouldn't it be harder for it not to be a rumor? For someone who has had no particular activities until now.”

While Seo Hye-in chattered on, saying the rumor had probably spread to the Western guilds as well, and Seo Ah-in was confused by this side of her sister she had never seen before, the Climbers who were to enter the Field were getting ready one by one.

The method was simple. Just form teams of three or four and clean up the Field.

When a special-grade demonic beast appeared, the existing demonic beasts on the Field would join forces to attack, so this was a task to reduce the hassle.

Ms. Seo Hye-in had to take overall command, so of course, she couldn't go with us. So the team was composed of Seo Ah-in, me, and a +@.

“It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kim Jin-gyu.”

And Mr. +@ seemed to be an exceptionally polite person.

It was also clear that was his only noticeable virtue.

“...Mr. Kim Gyu-sik. Will we be okay?”

It was so bad that Seo Ah-in would say something like this so openly.

A youthful appearance that looked to be in his early 20s at most, a neatly maintained but clearly unused standard-issue longsword. A uniform that wasn't even properly broken in yet.

It was a combination that could be exhibited in a museum as a textbook example of ‘a rookie who wants to work hard but has zero practical experience’.

“I-I’m a beginner, but I attended training diligently, so I won't hold you back. I look forward to working with you!”

Even his proud declaration that he would be of no help was perfect.

No one would want to entrust their back to someone like this on a battlefield where a momentary mistake could mean life or death.

“Sigh. We're in big trouble.”

“Don't run your mouth, F-grade. Not long ago, you were no different from this person.”

“...Mr. Kim Gyu-sik, you're an F-grade just like me, aren't you?”

“Do you really think so?”

“...”

Instantly refuted by a single sentence, Seo Ah-in pressed her temples and trudged ahead.

She was grinding her teeth, but she couldn't bring herself to retort.

“Ahaha... Did I make some kind of mistake?”

I chuckled at Mr. Kim Jin-gyu who said that in a fluster.

“No. In fact, it's perfect.”

“Uh, no. You are F-grades, but I really have no practical experience. You don't have to say that...”

“Anyone who didn't know would be completely fooled.”

I was serious about it being perfect.

Even I, who knew beforehand, was impressed.

Kim Jin-gyu. Even his name, as extra-like as Kim Gyu-sik, was a perfect match.

“...Pardon? What do you mean by that...?”

“I know who you are. And why you came.”

Saying that, I also got my gear ready.

“I'll play along for now. We're all in this together, after all.”

Finishing my sentence, I followed behind Seo Ah-in.

Mr. Kim Jin-gyu’s gaze remained fixed on my back.

***

And time returns to the present.

“Hi-Hieek! Mr. Kim Gyu-sik! They're splitting, they're splitting! Waaaaah!”

“C-Climber Seo Ah-in! Please calm down! If we remain calm, we can definitely resolve this situa... Waaaaah! Don't come any closer!”

“...”

Yeah.

A total mess.

Special-grade demonic beasts were terrifying enough to require the three major guilds to join forces, but the demonic beasts on the Field were generally not considered very threatening.

If anything, they were thankful punching bags that served as the main source of income for low-grade Climbers.

The administrative departments of each guild probably formulated their plans based on that assumption when they planned this joint subjugation.

Hmm.

So.

The origin of the disaster happening right now stemmed from there.

The surrounding Climbers fell like autumn leaves.

Even as they fell, many of them couldn't accept that they, dispatched from major guilds, were being overwhelmed by mere Field demonic beasts.

‘This special-grade demonic beast is a bit of a tricky one...’

The Field, which should have been filled with only F~D-grade demonic beasts, was now entirely filled with sticky masses.

Of course, they weren't cute and sticky like slimes.

They were the kind of unpleasantly sticky fellows that would intermittently become hard and spiky, spew acid, and grow teeth to eat people.

“W-What are these?! I've been to the Field a few times, but I've never seen anything like this?!”

“It's Ectoplasm.”

That mysterious substance said to be generated near spiritual beings.

Within Conqueror, it was treated as a kind of event monster that filled the Field before a boss spawned.

If you left it as it was, it would grant the boss an almost invincible buff when it spawned, so you had to clear it out beforehand.

However, as you could tell from the struggling figures around, they weren't easy opponents.

When hit with a physical attack, instead of dying, they would split and multiply. And to use something like magic, there was no support from the Magic Tower here.

“Then how do we kill these things?!”

“Properly.”

“Don't joke around!”

“I'm not joking.”

No, really, there was no other way than to kill them properly yourself.

They had physical attack resistance in the first place.

“...”

I chuckled at Seo Ah-in who was glaring at me with her mouth shut and drew my sword.

“Isn't that just a standard-issue sword? What are you going to do with that...”

“This is enough.”

In the past, I had faced much tougher opponents with worse than this.

Letting Seo Ah-in's worried words go in one ear and out the other, I tossed an item I had brought in my pouch towards her.

“Huh? A camera? Why are you giving this to me now...?”

“To film.”

“Pardon?”

“You have to transmit it and show it to the others.”

The demonstration of a skilled instructor will now begin.

Ectoplasm's behavior mechanism was simple. It wriggles in place. It attacks when you get close.

And if you drill this into your head, you can pull off some pretty slick moves.

As I stepped into its attack range, the white mass wriggled and turned spiky.

A linear attack flying straight at me.

Now, from here, I calculate the timing.

I review all the things I've done in this Field so far.

Matching the exact moment was as natural as breathing.

I held the sword at an angle to match the moment of attack. It had no special meaning, just mimicking a ‘defensive motion’.

So.

Now.

To match the exact moment it touches my body.

-!

The body of the Ectoplasm that was deflected by my attack flashed white for a moment.

At this moment, all of this creature's ‘defense’ and ‘physical resistance’ are nullified.

And matching that moment.

[ Shadow Secret Arts: Forceful Blow ]

[ Double Pulse ]

I slammed a direct hit with single-shot firepower raised to its maximum.

The Ectoplasm, which took a direct hit, was annihilated without splitting, despite being hit by a physical attack.

“...”

“...”

And, the surrounding Climbers who were watching me fell silent all at once.

They were all standing with their mouths agape, as if they had just witnessed a miracle like the parting of the sea.

“You do it like this.”

“...How do you do that? It doesn't look like you just blocked the attack.”

“You hit it with the thought of deflecting it at the exact moment it touches your body. It's not that hard.”

It was a technique called Just Frame Parry.

Ah. Brings back old memories. When I was practicing hard, I'd fight a dragon with a single tree branch and parry its breath.

The window was quite generous, too. As long as the motion was executed within about 0.1 to 0.2 seconds, it would succeed every time.

Considering the skill activation standard was 1/60th of a second, which was called the unwritten rule for Conqueror veterans, it was an incredibly generous window.

“...How on earth do you do that?! 0.1 seconds? Are you kidding me right now?!”

Hmm.

I don't get it. Why can't they do this?

Anyone can do it with a little practice.

“Go die. You damn deceiver.”

Ahem.

Let's refrain from using bad words.

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