8 Squad. Arrival of the Azure Dragon.
As Seowoon, now a trio thanks to his newly-formed clones, unleashed the Gale Step at full power and dashed forward, he crossed the Cloud Hill in an instant. The moment he did, a gunshot rang out, and a barrier shattered.
–Tatata-tang!
Instead of the sniper rifle used earlier, the enemy now fired a rifle in full-auto mode. Seowoon zigzagged as he rapidly closed the distance.
During the charge, one clone vanished, and his shield was broken. But the enemy who had been firing didn't even get the chance to react—his head exploded, and he dropped dead.
"What the…?"
The enemy fell far too easily for someone supposedly a fixed-position player. The ease of the kill left Seowoon with a sense of unease.
While scanning for the second enemy who had vanished, Seowoon saw no sign—no trace at all.
"Hyung!"
Lyle and the others rushed up quickly to reinforce him with a new barrier.
"Hmm… is this a rifle? They've packed a ton of ammo. This one looks like it's for sniping. And grenades… Impressive."
As Kichan opened a crate and rummaged through the modern firearms inside, his eyes widened.
"Looks like some serious firepower."
At that, Jinryung spoke, but Dump shook his head.
"We've run into enemies with similar weapons before. They got utterly wrecked by knights. They're defenseless against close-range attacks."
lilingwi gazed at the rifle in Kichan's hands with keen interest.
"Looks like a weapon from your world. Do you know how to use it?"
Kichan, having never served in the military, stared at the gun with a vague expression.
"I kinda know how to shoot… but Seowoon hyung would know better."
As he glanced over at Seowoon, lilingwi naturally turned her attention to him.
"I'm only really familiar with the K2. I shot the M16 a few times during training… I can handle it at a basic level. Why?"
"It seems like a strong throwing weapon. I was thinking it could be paired with poison."
"It's way too loud to use as a throwing weapon. Not suitable for ambushes, either. More importantly, there are too many enemies here that bullets won't even affect."
At those words, the curiosity on lilingwi's face vanished.
"So, using such loud weapons must mean they're confident they're the only ones on this island?"
Seowoon nodded at Juriel's sharp deduction.
"That's probably it."
"In that case, it should be easier to deal with them than we expected."
Juriel's comment prompted Kichan to shake his head.
"I did some research after the last game when we ran into that player who seemed like a Korean soldier. These guys are likely from a guild called Asia Seal. If that's the case, they won't be easy to wipe out."
"Asia Seal?"
The unfamiliar name made Seowoon tilt his head.
"I didn't bother telling you before since they didn't seem important. It's a guild made up of Asians. Before, they operated as a fixed party called Commando. They mainly use modern weapons and focus exclusively on farming valuable items. Their priority isn't high rankings, but survival."
"So it's a guild that focuses on turtling and money farming rather than strength."
Now it made sense why Kichan hadn't bothered bringing it up.
"Then that means they're already…"
"Yeah. They've probably started turtling already. If we waste time hunting them down across this massive island, it'll never end. It's best to just activate the Signal Stones and keep moving."
"But if we do that, they'll just take the stones from us."
Juriel's concern was met with a nod from Kichan.
"Most likely. But we were prepared for that. Our goal isn't to secure the stones, it's to destroy the Signal Core."
With a nod, Juriel took a step back. Seowoon gave the order.
"Let's quickly activate the Signal Stones and move. None of the stones across the island have been attacked yet. Once we activate the second one, stronger guardian monsters will appear."
After finishing their preparations and reaching the center of the island where the Signal Stone lay, they saw what they expected—first-tier goblins guarding the stone.
"I'll take care of it this time."
lyle stepped forward and raised his staff. Juriel smiled warmly at the much younger Rael.
–Bzzzzt!
With confidence in his mana pool, lyle unleashed Chain Lightning. Bolts of electricity shot from his staff, electrocuting the goblins in an ever-spreading arc.
Then Kichan slashed downward with his staff, summoning a giant thunderbolt.
–KWA-RAAANG!
The Call Lightning struck, supercharging the Chain Lightning, and right then, Jinryung, Limin, lilingwi, and Seowoon dashed toward the hundred goblins.
Juriel and Kichan poured in more magic, while Dump alone stood guard over the three mages, keeping watch for hidden threats.
They swiftly wiped out the first-tier goblins and activated the Signal Stone. As expected, no enemies interfered.
New goblins appeared near the stone—taller, with bright red skin.
"Looks like three main types. Axe-wielders, hammer-wielders, and some carrying staffs. They've built some tactical variation into this."
"Their attack patterns are more complex. Hard to say how strong they are, but they'll last longer than tier-one for sure."
"We're all tired, but let's push to the next island before we rest."
Everyone stood and prepared to move at Seowoon's suggestion.
"At least we got plenty of healing scrolls from this farm."
At Juriel's comment, Seowoon nodded while placing a magic explosive scroll beneath the Signal Stone.
"Yeah, that's a relief."
After setting the player-triggered magic scroll and shouting the activation words from outside its range, Seowoon began running. His teammates followed close behind.
–Will they strike as soon as we leave the stone?
–Hard to say. If it were me, I'd turtle and wait for another squad to attack the stone, then ambush them. But this Asia Seal group is unpredictable. I've never seen players take it this far.
More precisely, that was exactly how he had played during his first run.
But even with similar playstyles, the objectives between Seowoon and his enemies were worlds apart.
He played that way to grow stronger and increase his survival chances.
They played that way purely for survival and profit.
Indeed, items with real-world value had coin prices far below their worth.
If someone aimed to farm those kinds of items, they could easily obtain them through survival reward coins alone—making it likely that players who came to Cloyd for money would avoid taking any unnecessary risks.
The players who had made their presence known by initiating the first snipe the moment Seondongun was brought out and the team began to leave the island had not shown themselves since.
"They're not showing up at all. What was the point of the preemptive attack, then?"
To Juriel's words, Seowoon replied as they pierced through the clouds.
"It was probably just to gauge our strength. Getting chased all the way and getting a game over wasn't part of their plan."
The teammates, who had been chatting through team voice while flying through a particularly cloudy area, fell silent at Seowoon's comment.
"Something's not right."
Those who had played with him before knew his danger-sensing instincts were top-notch.
That's why his single sentence was enough to put the entire team on alert and swiftly prepare for battle.
Soon, Seowoon came to a complete stop and scanned the surroundings.
"Other than the increase in clouds… nothing's changed…"
Despite Limin's comment, Seowoon didn't move, continuing to observe the area.
It didn't seem like anything would suddenly emerge from the clear skies—aside from the clouds, there was nothing.
"No way…"
What began as a vague unease from Hamit's comment soon turned into real danger.
"KRAAAHHHH!"
A roar, unlike anything a human could produce, startled everyone, including Seowoon.
"Below us!"
Hamit's warning came as Seowoon shouted:
"Everyone scatter!"
Without hesitation, the team broke formation and dispersed in all directions—just in time to see their faces go pale.
A massive dragon's head burst through the clouds, its sheer size enough to evoke primal fear.
It had antlers like a deer, glowing blue eyes, and a fiery red mane reminiscent of a lion.
Though its body was covered in scales, the bizarre appearance didn't seem to match—and yet, it mesmerized the team as the dragon's body ascended upward like a divine being.
Even after soaring upward for quite some time, the enormous torso still wriggled right before them. Seowoon shouted:
"Follow me at full speed!"
As the team followed behind Seowoon, the once bright surroundings suddenly turned dark.
"Seowoon! On the map—"
"I see it!"
With a hardened expression, Seowoon narrowed his eyes.
A glowing blue circle had appeared on the map, labeled Azure Dragon's Zone, along with a danger alert.
"Ding! You have entered the Azure Dragon's Zone. Beware of the dragon's wrath."
As Seowoon clenched his teeth at how quickly the notification popped up, a bolt of red lightning struck right in front of him.
"Whoa!"
He reflexively twisted Seondongun, letting out a startled breath.
"Kyaaak!"
An unpleasant screech came from below—when he glanced down, he saw a black serpent, easily over 30 meters long with small wings, screaming as it fell toward the ground after being hit by red lightning.
Following Seowoon's gaze, the team looked down and their faces hardened.
Dozens of winged serpents were flying among the clouds—it was clear things were getting serious.
"Be careful not to align vertically with those snakes!"
Even before the team could react to his warning, they twisted Seondongun.
Just as they veered off, another roar from the Azure Dragon echoed, followed by another barrage of lightning.
"KWAHAAAAAH!"
"CRAAAACK!"
Tens of bolts struck simultaneously, lighting up the darkened sky so brightly it almost blinded them.
Once again, a few snakes were hit and fell, but only a small portion of the swarm got caught in the lightning.
"Those crafty bastards!"
The winged serpents were smart—staying aligned above or below the players to dodge the lightning.
Seowoon reached into his subspace and pulled out a handful of enchanted arrows.
As he narrowed his eyes and looked up, he spotted part of the massive Azure Dragon's body writhing within the black clouds.
According to the map, they still had quite a distance to escape the dragon's zone.
While keeping his eyes on the dragon's massive, twisting form in the mist, Seowoon caught sight of red sparks flaring up.
"It's coming!"
At the same time as his briefing, he threw one arrow upward. As he turned back, he saw multiple serpents vertically aligned with Lilingwi.
Without hesitation, he launched another arrow like a spell.
"CRACKLE!"
Red lightning struck.
As dozens of bolts rained down, the two arrows Seowoon had thrown met the lightning and exploded in bright sparks.
Thanks to the arrows' special effect—creating a magnetic field that draws in electricity within a set range—the red lightning was absorbed and glowed even more intensely.
Lilingwi panicked as the electromagnetic field formed just above her head, drawing in the lightning.
Seondongun shuddered violently, reflecting her shaken state.
"Stay sharp, everyone!"
It looked like if they could endure a few more waves, they'd escape the Azure Dragon's zone.
Still, the snakes continued to fly in formation with them, acting as living shields.
Seowoon scowled deeply.
"Kichan! When the next lightning falls, hit them below with Chain Lightning!"
"Got it!"
"Time it right—keep it short and clean!"
Even without a full explanation, Kichan understood what Seowoon was aiming for.
And he also knew—one small mistake here would mean a game over.
He swallowed hard, distanced himself from the others, and began casting.
Seeing the red sparks flare up again, Seowoon gave the order.
"Now!"
"CRACKLE!!"
At that moment, the magic shot by Kichan spread among the swarm of snakes, and Seowoon scattered the remaining arrows downward.
Kwarurururung! (crackling thunder)
Then, one of the falling streaks of red lightning struck a point in the magnetic field created by Seowoon, and inevitably, chain lightning connected.
Kkweeeeeh! (screeching)
Nearly twenty snakes were electrocuted by the red lightning storm, screaming as they fell to the ground. Seowoon's lips curled into a twisted smile at the sight.
"We're almost there!"
Encouraged by his words, the team regained their strength and followed behind Seowoon.
Two more bolts of lightning struck afterward, but perhaps due to a stroke of luck, none of the team members were struck and killed.
As they moved out of the Azure Dragon's territory, the darkness lifted and the fog cleared completely.
"Whew! That was close," said Dump, wiping cold sweat from his brow. Everyone nodded, relieved.
"The dragons in your world are truly brutal. It feels like standing in front of an unstoppable force of nature," said Juriel.
The warriors gave bitter smiles in response.
"This is our first time seeing a dragon too. We've only heard rumors about hidden imoogis (lesser dragons) now and then. But a dragon that huge…"
"But how does it even fly without wings?" Dump joked now that the tension had eased a bit.
Limin responded with a smirk, "If you're curious, why don't you go back and ask it?"
Looking back toward the still-dark territory of the Azure Dragon, Dump shook his head vigorously.
"I never want to face that thing again."
Even Limin nodded at Dump's voice, laced with fear—something no one thought he could feel.
After putting the Sun-Dong Orb into the subspace, the party landed on the fourth island and immediately took up defensive positions, scanning the surroundings.
"For today, let's rest early," Seowoon said as the sun began to set. He took out two cubes newly acquired from the subspace and tossed them, unfolding two large tents.
Then, pulling out instant noodles, portable burners, and several large pots, Rail and Dump poured water into the pots with practiced ease to prepare the meal.
"Your world's food is really delicious," said Dump, now completely hooked on the ramyeon (instant noodles) he had hesitantly tried yesterday.
***
Puhwak! (flesh tearing)
A flaming red lance pierced the mage's chest, leaving a gaping hole, and the bloodied man screamed:
"Ah! It's the Demon Twins! Run for your lives!"
"Think you can escape?" came a relaxed voice as a man in compact red armor stepped into the enemy's ranks, scattering their formation. As he removed his helmet, another man clad in blue armor fell from the sky and smashed the ground with a long-handled hammer.
KWAANG! (massive impact)
With a thunderous boom, the ground beneath the players shook violently. Those who were trying to flee stumbled and froze in place.
"You always go for an AoE attack even when I'm around," the red-armored man said.
The man who had just stunned two enemy mages and beheaded them with a unique weapon—something like a hammer on a thin rod—took off his helmet and replied:
"Who told you to jump in first and steal the spotlight?"
The two men, identical in appearance except for their armor and weapons, exchanged smirks.
Then the massacre began.
Without getting a single move off, the enemy squad was completely annihilated. As the twins rummaged through the squad's loot boxes, other players—presumably teammates—appeared.
"The alarm spell we set on the east side just went off."
"Same with the south."
"Using the Eye of Distortion, I saw those gun-using guys lurking near our agitation stone again."
At the final report, the man in red armor scowled.
"What guild were they from again? They just don't know when to quit."
"They've probably split up their squad to activate the agitation stones on the support islands, hoping to time it perfectly to activate this main one too. It's a weak strategy. All we need to do is defend this main island and hunt down anyone who comes."
At those words, the team members around him smiled.
They considered themselves lucky to be on the same squad as the infamous Demon Twins, the vanguard of the Kaern War Legion.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]