Chapter 93: Incarnation of the Battlefield (2)

Ding-dong!

<Cha Hasang has been appointed as the monarch of the ‘Climber’ faction!>

A crown emitting dazzling light formed above my head.

Soon, a notification window appeared before my eyes.

Ding-dong!

<The monarch can link senses with the five participants in the battlefield. Issue precise orders to the legion and seize a valuable victory!>

A tingling sensation spread from head to toe, like being electrocuted.

At the same time.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Five screens appeared before me.

This is…… me?

My own image was displayed on the screen.

It felt like watching a real-time camera feed.

HardboiledPC, Han Seoha, Yoon Yeobaek, Ma Seokdong, LDX-3021.

The views from five people were being broadcast on the screens.

More precisely, four people and one unit.

Anyway.

The linked senses weren’t just visual.

The wind tickling my skin, the grassy scent at the tip of my nose, the breathing sounds from the person next to me.

“……! ……! ……! ……!”

All of it overlapped and was felt in layers.

Even the sensation of gears and oil flowing was vividly transmitted.

It seemed LDX-3021’s sensory sensors were synchronized as well.

Looking around, the others also wore odd expressions.

I looked at HardboiledPC and thought.

Raise your left hand.

Then.

Whoosh—

HardboiledPC raised his left hand high.

“Ooh? What’s this!? My left hand! It’s possessed! Kyaaaah—!”

HardboiledPC flailed his upper body while throwing a tantrum.

“……”

I stopped because it felt bad.

It seemed I could control the actions of linked individuals at will.

At that moment, my eyes met Han Seoha’s.

“Hah…….”

Han Seoha let out a deep sigh.

“You’re E-rank, right? Play in a pool that matches your level. Why is an E-rank even in an S-rank dungeon in the first place? A guy like you controlling me? Ha, just don’t get in the way. Please.”

Han Seoha looked at me with contemptuous eyes.

At that moment, HardboiledPC butted in.

“Ehey~ Seoha-ching! There you go again! Smile~ Smile~ Jagi looks pretty when smiling?”

“Please shut your mouth, Hardboiled. And could you not approach within one meter? You smell like sweat.”

“Hwaaaang—! Dissing me over metabolism is too much! But I’ll love that side of you too~”

“Ah……. Annoying……. If I knew it’d take this long, I should’ve finished filming the drama before coming.”

Han Seoha clicked her tongue and turned her head.

I should avoid directly controlling their bodies unless absolutely necessary.

Not just because it offends the other party.

Naturally, each person handles their own body best.

Above all, A+ rank hunters are veterans with far more combat experience than me.

If I meddle unnecessarily and mess up their coordination, it’d be a huge loss.

At that moment, a signboard-shaped message window appeared.

Ding-dong!

[Game Rules]

▶Victory is achieved by destroying the opposing faction’s temple first.

▶Goblins are periodically deployed to all lanes. Defeat goblins to gain experience and increase stats! (※Stat increases apply temporarily only in the 3rd layer.)

▶Various monsters exist in the jungle area. Hunt monsters to gain experience and useful buffs!

▶Special relics are hidden in Maslow’s Canyon. Find the relics before the opposing faction and use them as keys to victory!

Except for a few parts, the rules were identical to Featherback’s training ground overall.

HardboiledPC, who had been reading the game rules, shouted loudly.

“Oh my my? What’s all this? I don’t understand a single thing?”

HardboiledPC looked at LDX-3021 and said.

“Hey! Robo-cute!”

[Hello, HardboiledPC. My official designation is LDX-3021.]

“Yeah, yeah. Robo-cute~! Do you know what this is?”

[……Searching for keywords related to the content……. Network connection is poor. Please try again later. HardboiledPC. Thank you for waiting. Internet search is unavailable due to the mana field’s influence. No related information found in the internal HDD database. I apologize for not being helpful.]

“Eeeeng! What, what! Useless! Robo-cute, really disappointing!”

[Hello, HardboiledPC. My official designation is LDX-3021.]

HardboiledPC bickering with LDX-3021.

Yoon Yeobaek, Han Seoha, and Ma Seokdong just exchanged glances without stepping forward.

I raised my hand and said.

“I have a strategy.”

“Wooah~! Waah! Jaging! Totally smart hot guy! So cool?”

“……”

It’s impossible to match that energy.

At that moment.

<Maslow’s Canyon will open in 10 minutes.>

So, preparation time is ten minutes.

Summarizing the conditions so far, it’s not a bad situation.

……No, it’s quite a good one.

The informational advantage of knowing the rules precisely.

The position of monarch, allowing easy orders.

And finally, avatars with unparalleled performance.

I spoke in a serious voice.

“Alright, from now on, I’ll briefly explain the tactics and strategies you all need to know.”

***

Ten minutes later.

Clear text appeared in the sky, and an announcement rang out.

<Prepare for battle. The battlefield will open soon!>

<Battlefield opens in 3 seconds—>

<Battlefield opens in 2 seconds—>

<Battlefield opens in 1 second—>

Soon.

Rumble rumble rumble—!

The massive stone wall blocking the paths sank into the ground.

At the same time.

<The battlefield has opened! Honorable battle, glorious victory!>

Goblins generated from the temple began advancing to each lane.

The battlefield deployment points were largely divided into four areas.

Upper lane, middle lane, lower lane, and jungle.

After ten minutes of deliberation, the decided personnel assignment was……

-Upper Lane: World’s Strongest Ma Seokdong

-Jungle: HardboiledPC

-Middle Lane: Blue Mage Tower Lord Han Seoha

-Lower Lane: LDX-3021 & White Mage Tower Lord Yoon Yeobaek

……This is the best.

I examined the screens spread before me.

A large minimap floated above the screens, allowing me to clearly grasp allies’ positions.

Soon, the assigned personnel arrived at their lanes one by one.

At the same time, Ma Seokdong’s voice came.

“Is it just killing these goblins?”

The voice transmitted directly into my mind.

I looked at Ma Seokdong’s screen and said.

“Yes, just kill them with the last hit.”

“Last hit? Does that mean strike wildly like a barrage?”

“No, do you see the green gauge above the goblin’s head? It’s a visual display of the goblin’s HP. Kill it when the health gauge is almost depleted. Last strike, hence last hit.”

“Hm, understood.”

Ma Seokdong struck a goblin with low HP.

Crack!

His massive fist completely shattered the goblin’s skull.

Then.

<LEVEL UP!>

A level-up mark appeared above Ma Seokdong’s head.

Soon, the status window updated rapidly.

<Ma Seokdong>

-LV:2(+1)

-Strength: 3(+2)

-Vitality: 3(+2)

-Agility: 2(+1)

-Intelligence: 1

-Mental Strength: 1

(※These stat increases apply temporarily only in the 3rd layer.)

Strength and vitality up by 2 points, agility by 1.

It seemed to rise focused on stats specialized for the individual.

It said it applies only in this layer, so it’ll revert in the next. Too bad.

I shifted my gaze to HardboiledPC’s screen.

“HardboiledPC. Did you do as I said?”

“Uh-huh! Of course, Jaging! You said to run to the enemy camp right at the start, so I did! Just caught the red golem!”

Red flames flickered around HardboiledPC.

Ding-dong!

<HardboiledPC has acquired the flame buff! Attacks burn enemies, reducing movement speed and dealing continuous damage!>

A similar mechanism existed in Featherback’s training ground.

Defeating special monsters in the jungle grants powerful buffs for a certain time.

It’s identical from one to ten. Does the Lokpia Continent have no concept of copyright?

At that moment, HardboiledPC asked a question.

“But, Jagi. Why tell me to start in the enemy jungle when we have our own? We could just take our buffs first.”

“It’s to steal the enemy’s buffs for our side. If HardboiledPC takes the buffs from our area too, we can widen the gap in buff count and growth over the enemy at the same time.”

“Uhh~ I see. Actually, I don’t get it. But Jagi, you’re cool! Like Zhuge Liang~!”

“Thanks. I’m just copying what I saw somewhere.”

“And…… a handsome guy’s voice echoing directly in my head. Feels better than I thought?”

I decided to ignore it.

Strategies and tactics are secondary elements at best.

The most important goal is destroying the enemy faction’s temple.

However, to attack the enemy temple, a prerequisite task is needed.

To attack the temple, you must destroy the structures installed on the three paths leading there.

Destroy all structures on any one lane to enable temple attacks.

To destroy structures, growth is needed first.

Of course, I have no intention of just mutually growing and twiddling thumbs.

……This is the timing for HardboiledPC to act.

As pre-instructed, HardboiledPC began running toward the middle lane.

Blue Mage Tower Lord Han Seoha clashing with the skeleton chef in the middle lane.

Soon, sharp icebergs rose on the snowy field.

Crash crash crash—!

At the same time, a swirling blizzard engulfed the skeleton chef.

Ice shards mixed in the blizzard surged toward the skeleton chef.

But.

Swish— swish—

The skeleton chef evaded all those attacks.

Despite the terrain advantage of the snowy field, the skeleton chef didn’t allow a single effective hit from Han Seoha.

Instead, the skeleton chef’s swung kitchen knife grazed Han Seoha’s cheek.

Drip— drip drip—

Red blood drops fell on the white snow.

But at that moment.

Crackle— crack crack—

The ground under the skeleton chef’s feet froze instantly.

Han Seoha said in a cold voice.

“Die.”

Allowing the effective hit was a trap to ensnare the skeleton chef.

Soon, a massive silhouette burst out from beyond the bushes.

“Wooooh~! Political Correctness Kiiiick—!”

With a rough crushing sound, HardboiledPC’s explosive dropkick.

Crack!

Hundreds of cracks spread across the skeleton chef’s ribs.

Ding-dong!

<FIRST KILL!>

It was the moment a cheerful notification rang out.