Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The battlefield opened every day from 7am to 10pm for three weeks.

In essence, ‘For Justice’ was the alpha and omega of why alliances divided their forces, and every season, interesting stories and named characters emerged from this game mode.

“Let’s see. The Demonic Cult is to the northwest.”

When Sojun chose the battlefield, a colossal map of the central plain unfurled before his eyes.

And that land was currently occupied by the Southern Unorthodox Faction, the Northeastern Orthodox Faction, and the Northwestern Demonic Cult.

“It seems appropriately assigned.”

Sojun thought he understood why the Tang Clan was part of the Unorthodox Faction. If the Tang Clan of Sichuan had been included in the Orthodox Faction, the map might have been somewhat awkward.

『Do you want to participate in the battlefield?』
『YES/NO』

A window popped up, and Sojun pressed YES.

『Lead your faction to victory.』
『You can earn rewards based on your contributions during the battlefield after it concludes.』
『If you change your faction, your contributions to date will reset.』

“Hmm, where should I start?”

Sojun studied the map. Players on the battlefield could choose between two positions in each game: attack and defense.

Attacking meant selecting a region adjacent to the front line of another faction where the player would engage in the game. Winning such a game earned attack points equal to the player’s reputation score.

Defending involved choosing a region adjacent to the front line within one’s own faction, playing, and if victorious, defense points could be earned equivalent to the reputation score.

When the battlefield closed at 10, attack and defense points from a region were compared to determine success or failure. If attack points exceeded defense points, the attacking faction would seize the region.

“And while attack offers higher contribution per point than defense, it’s not something to be overly concerned about.”

– Wow, really well-prepped.
– Streamer did the homework!
– Yeah, and if you succeed in an attack or defense, there’s additional contribution
– Just choose defense if you’re in the Demonic Cult!

The viewers’ advice was spot on. Success in the chosen position was crucial for accumulating more contribution. As the battlefield allowed only four rounds per day, making the right minor decisions was essential, especially if aiming for the top 16.

Choosing attack could amass more contribution than defense, but for the Demonic Cult, being at a disadvantage made attack success less likely.

“However, choosing defense offers a higher success rate.”

Ideally, constant attack with all victories would be the best strategy, though that was unlikely.

– But seriously, are you really aiming for 16th? Why so serious?
– Wouldn’t you be serious if it was you?
– I recommend attack. The Demonic Cult should expand its territory, haha!
– I disagree.
– Actually, defense is the key on the first day.
– Defense is standard in the winter though. Sigh.

Hmm.

“I’ve made my choice.”

It was best to heed the viewers’ words and defend. It was unlikely that the players of a faction would unite to launch a major attack on the first day. Most players knew this, intending to secure basic contributions through defense.

Both the opponents and Sojun’s team focused on defense. It was a time of waiting and watching, after all.

Thus, blending in with the majority was wise.

“I will defend.”

Sojun made a cautious decision. One might wonder if he intended to play a cautious game all along, but he had a reason to believe in his strategy.

He would play the game step by step, for now.

– Well-thought-out.
– Let’s go for it!
– Head to Xinjiang!

Xinjiang referred to the Demonic Cult’s headquarters. At the northwest’s end, deep within the Demonic Cult’s territory, it indicated that a front line hadn’t even formed.

“Why tease the Demonic Cult? Anyway, I’ll engage with the Orthodox Faction for now.”

Sojun selected defense for a region that bordered the Orthodox Faction.

『Do you want to defend?』
『YES/NO』

The game type was a territory capture. The terrain was something new to him. ‘Let’s give it a try.’

Sojun moved his fingers.

* * *

Sojun fiddled with a sword he had acquired from the Demonic Cult.

Thanks to the title of ‘Grandmaster,’ he was able to simply take an item displayed in the shop, and it fit perfectly in his hand with a blade length he was satisfied with.

There were characteristics among his abilities that dictated the use of weapons, but it wasn’t like the Absorption Technique.

People continued to enter.

‘It’s all members of the Cult.’

Sojun was summoned to a fortress.

The opponent was the Orthodox Faction. It was a predictable result since they had suppressed the defenses of regions adjacent to the Orthodox Faction.

There were two members from the Mount Hua Sect and one from the Namgung family.

And finally, there was the Beggar Sect.

『The battle will begin in 1 minute.』

An alarm appeared, indicating that all participants had gathered, and Sojun stood up.

“Hmm, our team has two with Absorption Technique? Let’s quickly decide who will go to the third point.”

The person next to Sojun spoke first.

In a capture match, there are three points. At the start, it’s standard for three people to go to the most crucial central point, ‘Point A’, and for one person each to go to the closer points, ‘Point B’ or ‘Point C’.

While other strategies existed, this was the norm.

However, Sojun had no intention of doing things normally.

Or engaging in conversation.

“I’ll go to the center alone.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Aren’t you a tank?”

The player who spoke first looked around and found Sojun, checking his abilities.

Sojun’s chosen main characteristic was the Absorption Technique.

Predicting him to be a tank was only natural.

Sojun looked down at his colleague with a smirk.

“I mean, one person as usual for Point C, the rest to Point B, and I’ll handle Point A alone. Is that difficult to understand?”

“No…”

“Don’t you know capturing all three points at once is the fastest way?”

– Hahaha, insane
– His tone is really hilarious
– Heavenly Demon mode on
– True that lol capturing all three at once is indeed faster haha
– If you want to be fun, cool, and sexy, just do it fun, cool, and sexy
– Obviously, capturing all three is the fastest lol

It was amusing.

The player’s cheek slightly twitched.

“It’s not about whether it’s difficult or not. You’re a tank, and even if you’re a skilled one, going against many with just Absorption Technique?”

“Don’t worry. I’m the Heavenly Demon.”

Yes, the Heavenly Demon.

“I see your nickname is Heavenly Demon14. So what? Are you trolling?”

A troll.

In the context of seeking personal entertainment and satisfaction online, it refers to those who deliberately harass others.

And what Sojun was doing amounted to trolling.

That is, if he wasn’t skilled at the game.

“You only see the name?”

Sojun said this while the eyes of his teammates shifted to the top and side of Sojun’s head.

“Grandmaster? What’s that? It’s a title I’ve never seen before.”

“It’s proof that I’m the Heavenly Demon. So just follow my plan.”

Sojun stood at the door.

『The battle will begin in 10 seconds.』
『The battle will begin in 9 seconds.』

.
.
.

The door opened, and Sojun headed towards Point A with the soldiers.

Left with no choice, his teammates followed Sojun’s instructions.

“Well, our teammates aren’t going to lose a 2 vs 1, right?”

– Wow, proof of being the Heavenly Demon
– Honestly, the title ‘Grandmaster’ does sound incredibly cool, but using it like this makes it seem silly, haha
– I’m genuinely curious, why do you speak formally to viewers?

“Why speak formally, you ask? How could I speak informally to lovely viewers?”

Of course, some streamers do use informal language, but most of those streamers were of a certain age.

So he could potentially get away with it due to age.

The issue was he couldn’t prove it.

– You’re good at looking down just like before, though???
– It’s innate, lol
– Maybe he was the Heavenly Demon in a past life
– Now things are making sense for me

‘What’s there to make sense of?’

Sojun moved forward, engaging in trivial chatter.

Having managed his stamina while using lightness skill, he arrived ahead of the soldiers.

And the same was true for the opponents.

The opposing team consisted of three members, as per the standard approach.

Seeing Sojun standing alone, they began to be on guard, wondering if other enemies were lurking nearby.

“Guys, why is there only one enemy?”

“I don’t know. Looking at their setup, nothing seems particularly strange.”

“Is it a lucky win? Maybe they’re just throwing the match.”

“Seriously, those Cult guys are just weird.”

– Yep, lol
– Definitely not normal
– As expected of the Orthodox Faction, they’re smart!

“The ones who are different on the outside from the inside, what are those Orthodox fools saying now!”

“ㅇㅉㄹㄱ”

The enemies were having a conversation. It seemed they weren’t too wary of Sojun, as he was the only one present. Rather, they seemed more cautious about potential allies who could be lying in ambush.

‘I should just go ahead first,’ Sojun thought.

Using his lightness skill, he quickly charged forward. Given his low level, this began as a basic combat engagement. A user wearing a garment with a red flower pattern drew his sword.

* * *

“I wonder what that person really does?”

“Indeed.”

‘CoconutLover’, who had engaged in a conversation with the user ‘Heavenly Demon14’ characterized by peculiar speech and an odd concept, deeply empathized with the question from a teammate as they headed to the stronghold. What exactly does that person do?

“Could they be a veteran?”

“Nah, veterans don’t usually dress like that!”

CoconutLover sighed, kicking the ground in frustration. The basic premise of a veteran: they must look unusual. Like wearing only underwear or painting their entire body purple.

Especially in the Demonic Cult, there were many such individuals. Perhaps the Orthodox side focused more on image, and the Unorthodox on being tough men.

In contrast, the Demonic Cult’s image… How did it end up like this? Tears welled up in CoconutLover’s eyes.

Even though she had joined the Demonic Cult because of her admiration for Heavenly Demon, what she encountered were nothing but purple underwear villains.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was trash no one used. “Though the ‘Grandmaster’ title did seem rare. There’s potential to the concept.”

“So, they go 1v3 with the ‘Absorption Technique’ skill? Oh, right. We can just check the account level!”

CoconutLover called up the interface to check Heavenly Demon14’s account level and was shocked. “The account level is at newbie status… Obviously.”

“What?!”

Ugh.

“Should we head over to Stronghold B even now?”

The urge to play the game correctly in a conventional manner surged. “No, let’s aim for Stronghold A first. If we capture two strongholds in a 2v1, we might take an advantageous position from the start!”

Thankfully, a teammate next to him calmly persuaded her.

“Alright!”

With that, both of them fell silent. Breaking through the strange silence, they arrived at the stronghold. Seeing them arrive first and capture the stronghold, a user from the Namgung family expressed surprise.

“What the, so you really came separately? What are you Demonic Cult guys doing?!”

Drawing a sword, the enemy withdrew a hand poised for capturing. Anyway, when a fight begins, capturing pauses automatically.

“Exactly!”

CoconutLover, standing a short distance across from the stronghold, watched his hand turn dark. His build was unique in that it fought without weapons.

“We don’t know either, so just hand over the stronghold quickly!!”

The user of the ‘Absorption Technique’ skill jumped in first, and she followed suit. They naturally positioned themselves to press the enemy from front and back.

Generally, it is hard to perceive attacks coming from behind if one doesn’t actually have eyes there. Hence, the enemy moved around to avoid being surrounded, but failed. “Ah, playing dirty, why all this nonsense here?!”

*Clang!*

As the Namgung family member struggled to block an ally’s attack, he shouted. CoconutLover’s eyes caught the enemy’s back marked with ‘Azure Sky’ (蒼天).

“I said we don’t know!!”

The dark energy shot out. Even with great skill, when faced with more than double the number of opponents, defeat was inevitable due to numerical advantage.

Moreover, the enemy seemed capable enough to win in a one-on-one match, so it was only natural that the enemy fell.

“I’ll capture the stronghold.”

“Okay!”

CoconutLover opened the interface again. She needed to survey the battle situation to know what to do next.

“Do you think you can win doing that? Isn’t the center ultimately the most important? You Demonic Cult bastards!”

The fallen enemy, awaiting revival, shouted, still upset from being out at the start. It was understandable. Nodding silently, he scanned the interface.

“Yep, so now I’m pondering what to do… What?!”

Why were all the enemies dead? He checked the notifications to understand the situation.

『Heavenly Demon14 –〉 Jeon Jae-Hoon』
『Heavenly Demon14 –〉 The Road
『Heavenly Demon14 –〉 Parting from Farewell』
『Hero Emerged!』

What’s going on? She murmured, seemingly clueless about the impossible occurrence.

“What’s going on?!”

Even the Namgung family user, who was also down beside her, spoke in an uncanny voice after checking the interface.

“Is it a bug?”