Chapter 77: Built on Instinct

Jaeho faced off against a group of monsters that looked like goats.

Enough time had passed that the monsters had already undergone two rounds of strengthening.

Even so, Jaeho was able to deal with his enemies without any trouble.

“I think I’m probably just getting carried by my equipment.”

His level was much higher than usual, and it was certain that he was also benefiting from various Buffs.

However, no matter how strong you got, if your reaction speed couldn’t keep up, it was all pointless.

In fact, there were plenty of high-level Players who couldn’t live up to their level—some lacked Sense, while others had poor Capsule performance.

The top-tier Capsule from MK solved that very problem.

Bit by bit, it maximized Jaeho’s outstanding Reflective Nerves, and thanks to all the reasons mentioned above, he was currently drawing out at least three times his usual combat strength.

ㅡ Behind!

At the shout from behind, Jaeho instinctively bent his waist and rolled along the ground.

Normally, enemies targeting your back would aim for your upper body, not your legs—so that was the judgment he made.

Pop ㅡ

While crouched low on the floor, Jaeho spun his body rapidly and stabbed his opponent with the Legendary Sapling Shovel.

Kka-ang ㅡ

A sound he hadn’t expected at all.

“Seumin-ssi?”

Jaeho finally recognized his opponent.

“<Earth Splitter>!”

Instead of greeting him, Seumin thrust his sword straight at him.

Grrrrng ㅡ

A dark shockwave tore through the air and engulfed Jaeho.

But Jaeho, who had already dodged, didn’t panic and immediately launched a counterattack.

After all, every living being you met here had to be killed—it was the Rule of the Room.

“<You will suffer>!”

“??”

Suddenly, a cringeworthy line popped out of Jaeho’s mouth.

But Seumin’s bewilderment grew even more at the bizarre phenomenon that happened next.

Paaaat ㅡ

A beam of light shot from Jaeho’s eyes—a ray that could not be avoided!

Thanks to his battles in Bear Country, the Word Command skill had been upgraded (now it was almost an Eye Incantation), and it began to suppress Seumin’s movements.

Seumin, who had already been Debuffed to nearly level 100, was feeling frustrated.

On top of that, his movement speed, attack speed, and agility all plummeted, and it felt like his whole body was bound in chains.

“Wh-What is this?! Is this Word Command?!”

He hadn’t climbed to the rank of a top Player for nothing……

“A Player using Word Command? Or is it another skill similar to Word Command?”

He’d figured it out, but Jaeho’s eye beams kept him from thinking straight.

“<Ragnarok>!”

Realizing it was an unavoidable skill, Seumin immediately brought out a countermeasure.

Crackle-crackle-crackle!!!

Lightning struck around Seumin, incinerating everything nearby.

Jaeho, expecting a big skill, had already widened the distance and escaped outside the range.

“Haaap!!”

The storm of lightning around him shifted and followed the direction of Seumin’s sword.

Kwadududuㅡ

Kkweoeong-!!!

A thunderclap loud enough to make your ears bleed, and a bolt of lightning shot toward Jaeho.

No matter how fast Jaeho was, dodging lightning should have been impossible……

“?”

But the lightning bolt targeting Jaeho sliced through empty air, striking nothing.

He’d already disappeared from that spot.

“<Shocked Shield>”

“Original cost.”

Hearing a voice from behind, Seumin flinched and leaped aside.

Boom ㅡ

But Jaeho’s Legendary Sapling Shovel was faster.

“Keoheok?!”

In an instant, Seumin lost half his HP!

“Wh-What kind of attack power is this?! Aren’t you supposed to be a flower shop owner?!”

The physical shock, combined with the mental blow, left Seumin wide open, and Jaeho unleashed a barrage of attacks.

Kwagwang!!

Jaeho’s movements, now fueled by momentum, were hard for even Seumin to follow.

“H-How can you move like that with a body like yours?!”

Seumin was renowned for his combat Sense.

But Jaeho, facing him head-on, was on another level!

Even when he’d fought professional martial artists, he hadn’t experienced anything like this……!

“I need to heal up first……”

It hurt his pride, but it was better to take a Potion and survive than die here.

“<Shocked Shield>!”

Tadangㅡ

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-gwakㅡ!

Striking the front of his shield with his own sword, Seumin generated a powerful shockwave that knocked Jaeho far back.

In that gap, Seumin quickly pulled out a Potion……

Piiingㅡ

Bam!

But a beam of light from somewhere shattered the Potion bottle.

“Well done!”

The one who drew Jaeho’s praise was none other than Fonda.

For a close combat class, there weren’t many reasons to pull back from the fight.

Either to prepare a powerful skill or to recover.

That was also the reason Jaeho had been able to avoid Seumin’s .

Anyone could see it—straining every muscle and even his name was over-the-top.

As soon as he confirmed that Seumin was forcibly pushing him away, he’d instructed Fonda to act.

“Jet! !”

Shield raised, sword held high, Seumin charged in at high speed—but Jaeho easily dodged.

Tudang—

But what looked like a straight charge suddenly changed direction and stuck to Jaeho.

If you didn’t give your opponent any breathing room, you could steal their composure instead.

It was a bold move.

If Jaeho tried a half-hearted counter, he could have ended up taking severe damage instead.

Paat—

At that moment, Jaeho, who had stopped dodging, charged Seumin head-on.

Ssiikㅡ

Just as Seumin grinned at that choice…

Ddakㅡ

Jaeho’s fingers flicked.

Puuu-bang!

“Keoheok?!”

An explosion erupted from Seumin’s body and the skill was canceled.

It was none other than <Magic Explosion> !

It was a skill that dealt powerful damage on its own, and since Seumin was in the middle of a charge skill, he’d taken it completely off-guard.

While Seumin was left reeling, Jaeho rushed in and slammed the shield away.

Then, he stabbed the Legendary Sapling Shovel squarely into his chest.

[A Critical Hit has landed!]

“Jjibi.”

With a face of utter disbelief, Seumin slowly collapsed to the ground.

[You have been eliminated. You will be transported to the Bunker shortly.]

Paat—

Seumin was ejected from the Labyrinth.

“Huh? You’re here?”

“Wow… So even Seumin was taken out in the end.”

“?”

He turned his head at the voices nearby.

“What? Why are you guys all here……?”

There, all the other teams were gathered together.

“Well, we’re here because we were eliminated.”

“We were all beaten by King Hwang Jaeho.”

“?!!”

A shocking statement!

All of these people were among the top Players in Korea……

The fact that every one of them had been taken out by a single Jaeho was hard to believe.

“He’s a real monster. And he didn’t even use a lot of skills.”

“I’m an Assassin, right? I went into stealth, but he found me like a Ghost.”

“Yeah, for me it was just Physical. But Seumin, did you see what weapon King Hwang Jaeho was using?”

“A dagger, wasn’t it?”

“Nope. It was a shovel—a Legendary Sapling Shovel!”

“What?”

“I couldn’t believe my eyes either.”

The Republic of Korea’s top Players chatted idly.

At first, they’d resented Jaeho for being the face of MK just because of his reputation, but not anymore.

Now, they knew Jaeho was more than worthy.

Gripㅡ

Of course, Seumin’s wounded pride wouldn’t heal so easily.

***

About five minutes after Seumin was eliminated, the other two team members also returned to the Bunker.

Since Seumin’s team was the last, the match ended immediately and the results were announced.

“Wow, hey.”

Jaeho’s team was in an overwhelming first place with 46 points.

It was a score possible only because they’d defeated all the other teams.

Hoo…

Stepping out of the Capsule, Jaeho looked down at it with a satisfied expression.

But his satisfaction wasn’t about the victory.

“I should buy one of these for myself.”

So comfortable he hated to leave the Capsule!

Sssiiikㅡ

Players exited the other Capsules as well.

Bang—!

Just then, the door to the Capsule Room burst open and two representatives ran in, looking for Jaeho.

“Ah! King Hwang Jaeho!”

“?!”

Thudㅡ

Without warning, the two dropped to their knees and grabbed Jaeho’s legs.

“Please, can’t you just compete as a Player?!”

From MK’s perspective, there was no way they could let him go.

The strongest person in the team wasn’t actually a core member!

Admittedly, Jaeho’s lack of a combat-specialized class was a weakness.

But what did that matter?

Whether it was thrill or anything else, his Physical overwhelmed everything!

The two representatives pleaded earnestly, and soon high-ranking MK officials came in to add their own desperate appeals.

They even offered better contract terms, begging him to compete as a Player.

But Jaeho’s answer remained unchanged.

“I’m busy running my flower shop.”

***

The following event wasn’t anything special.

It was just time to enjoy the buffet laid out in the spacious meeting room and mingle.

Naturally, the one getting the most attention there was Jaeho.

The friendly match had been broadcast live throughout the company, and everyone had seen Jaeho’s performance.

He’d become a Star in an instant, so it was only natural for people to keep gathering around him.

“But you really have no thoughts of joining the league?”

At Jinah’s question, Jaeho nodded.

“I’d have to move into the dorm and make separate time for training if I did.”

He didn’t want to devote that much care to something he didn’t have much passion for.

“Seriously, what a waste…”

Jinah’s muttering spoke for everyone.

“But how are you so good at fighting? Did you train in anything special?”

He looked like he might have gotten into fights back in his school days… but judging from Jaeho’s personality, probably not.

“I just keep up with working out at the gym.”

He didn’t mention the talent he was born with—enough that his father Wooram had wanted him to become a fighter.

No point saying it, it’d only sound like bragging.

“Um, you remember what we said when we made the contract, right? We mentioned you might have to appear in a match every now and then…?”

Half resigned, the two reps made one last offer.

“Ah, well… as long as it doesn’t interfere with my schedule, I guess that’s okay…”

Jaeho nodded, unable to refuse when he saw their almost tearful faces.

“Oh right, how much does the Capsule I used earlier cost?”

“That one?!”

At Jaeho’s question, the two reps’ eyes sparkled.

“Ha-ha, looks like you liked it.”

“Yes. It was definitely different from the one I usually use. It was comfortable, and… I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but it felt like my reaction speed was much faster.”

“It’s not your imagination. In fact, the Capsule’s sync rate makes a huge difference in performance. By the way, do you know the model you were using?”

“Um, I’m not sure of the model name… it was a bit clunky, with something like a motor sticking out at the top.”

“A motor?”

“Maybe not?”

Jaeho had no idea about Capsule structure.

It was just that the biggest difference from the ones at MK was that thing on top.

“Could it be…”

Suddenly recalling something, the two reps pulled out their phones, tapped away, and then showed Jaeho the screen.

“Is this what it looked like?”

“Oh? Yeah, that’s it.”

Jaeho nodded as he looked at the Capsule on the screen.

The two reps were left speechless.

“Why? What model is it… huh?!”

“Eh? Is it really that?”

Jinah and the other Players, curious, checked the phone and clapped their hands over their mouths in shock.

“Hm? What’s wrong with everyone?”

Jaeho tilted his head, asking for an explanation.

“This… this is a really famous product… did you know?”

The two reps finally spoke with difficulty.

“No. My father Wooram brought it home secondhand, so I don’t really know. Is it a good product?”

“Well… honestly, it’s a little hard to say….”

The fact that Jaeho’s father had brought it home made them extra cautious.

They started sweating nervously, afraid they might accidentally say something out of line.

Not to Jaeho of all people…!

“It’s fine, you can tell me. I’m not really close with my dad anyway.”

Jaeho spoke nonchalantly.

“Ahem… Actually… it’s a first-generation Capsule, and… it’s considered the worst Capsule ever made.”

As the two reps finally spoke, the people around them started to chime in as well.

“I… I saw it on the internet. Someone sold it as an antique to an old friend…”

“It really works? I thought it was a joke post.”

“Did you really play the game on that all this time?”

“Well, the thing is…”

“This Capsule… even back then, it was notorious for its low sync rate… and it’s super noisy…”

Simply put, it was like playing the game while carrying a bag of sand.

Jaeho didn’t really feel wronged.

It just reminded him of Wooram bringing home that antique for his son, and left him feeling a little bittersweet…