World's Strongest Survivor-Chapter 58

Squad Three. The Game in Upheaval.

—Kakakang! Zzziiik!

Even amidst the chaos, Kichan couldn't help but acknowledge the knight's skill and unshakable will as he blocked Seowoon's bizarrely curved attacks three times in a row.

But then, as the knight's sword wavered from the blow of a previous spell, Seowoon's hand finally tore through the knight's breastplate.

As a fountain of blood erupted from the knight's chest, Kichan and Lyle unleashed their next spell.

The knight's face, hidden behind his helmet, was contorted with frustration.

He had fought countless enemies his entire life, but never had he been pushed this far by an unarmed opponent.

There were martial artists in his world too.

But among them all, not a single one had ever closed the distance so relentlessly and trapped him in place like this.

The moment he stepped back, Seowoon advanced.

Every time he tried to push back with strength, that eerily twisted hand of Seowoon's would fly at him, targeting his thigh.

One strike—just one—and it had torn through armor and ripped open his chest.

If his legs got hit by that, it was over.

—Kang!

He twisted his longsword and forced it down to barely protect his lower half, but the pressure kept building.

He had earned the title Sword Emperor with a single longsword, but this was the first time in his life he had faced such a situation, and it shook him.

His resolve wavered even more as he spotted the two mages casting spells behind Seowoon.

—Tung!

As a wall burst up from the ground beneath his feet and launched him into the air, a Wind Hammer slammed into his head, sending his helmet flying.

Seowoon's hand, heavy with intent, flew for the knight's exposed neck, capturing the swirl of complex emotion in his eyes.

—Kakang!

Even while disoriented midair, the knight managed to defend his vital points and was sent flying to the ground, slamming hard but bouncing up like a spring.

Seowoon's expression tensed as he saw the knight's body begin to glow faintly, the torn breastplate slowly repairing itself.

What troubled him most was how the knight kept glancing past him—at the two behind. It felt like he was waiting for even the slightest opening to slice them down in an instant.

Even with a decent distance between them, it felt like they were already in his striking range.

"Phew."

Taking a breath, Seowoon subtly shifted his position to block the knight's view of the others, silently declaring he would protect them at all costs. The knight, sighing in turn, refocused on Seowoon.

Seowoon activated Gale Step, closing the distance, and the knight met his charge head-on.

'Kaire Barrier.'

At the same moment, two Ice Lances appeared over Seowoon's shoulders and shot toward the knight.

—Puseok! Puseok!

As expected, the knight swiftly shattered the incoming lances with a natural swing of his sword.

'Even with armor that thin, it doesn't even frost over. This guy's no joke.'

—Kakang!

The clash began again—Seowoon trying to close in, the knight slashing to take off his head before he could.

Seowoon barely blocked the knight's sword with both hands, slowly closing in, but his expression hardened.

He couldn't close the final step. The knight had become wary and was maintaining that single step's distance with deadly precision.

—Tung!

Another wall burst from the ground beneath the knight, launching him upward again.

But he wasn't caught twice. Using the force of the rising wall, the knight flipped his body midair with gymnastic grace and retreated smoothly.

—Tatak!

Using Gale Step, Seowoon kicked off the wall and leapt up, closing in on the knight mid-flip.

—Kakakang!

Even exchanging blows in the air, the knight showed no signs of panic.

—Kaang!

After a brief contest of strength, the knight pushed Seowoon back by pressing down hard with both hands on his sword.

With his current stats, Seowoon couldn't overpower the knight.

As Seowoon was pushed back, the knight slammed his now-blazing sword into the ground.

"Damn it!"

Seowoon quickly retreated, but the energy from the knight's sword instantly surged through the ground toward him.

A blast of red heat erupted and engulfed him. Seowoon struck it head-on with Fist of Destruction, resisting the knight's energy.

His whole body burned, and his robe turned to blackened rags.

As he barely broke through the knight's attack, the knight reappeared, sword raised high overhead.

—Kwaaaang!

Seowoon crossed his arms just in time to block, but his legs buckled under the blow.

His arms throbbed painfully—if it hadn't been for Kaire Barrier, they would have snapped.

—Fwaaah! Boom!

Fire Burst and Wind Hammer struck again, blasting the knight away just in time. Without them, Seowoon's head would have been taken clean off.

Even as he was sent flying, the knight rolled smoothly to the side, stood up, and deflected the next wave of spells with his sword, charging again at Seowoon.

"That's it. Get ready!"

At Seowoon's command over team voice, Kichan gritted his teeth and focused.

As the knight rushed in and swung his sword, Seowoon narrowly dodged back—and in that instant, his form split and stretched.

One would expect some hesitation, but the knight scanned quickly, trying to identify the real body.

—Shhk!

One clone leaping in from the side was instantly decapitated and vanished.

That moment, Kichan finished his spell.

Mirror Illumination.

A wave of mana distorted the space around them, creating a dizzying illusion.

It looked like mirrored curtains surrounded them, and out of those illusions, dozens of Seowoons flew at the single knight.

For the first time, Seowoon saw confusion in the knight's eyes—and his lips curled.

—Jjeojeong! Jjaenggrang!

The knight swung his sword at lightning speed, cutting down the incoming clones. Shattering sounds echoed as the illusions broke one after another.

Seowoon had approached right up to the enemy and extended his Bloodbone Claw.

In that moment, shockingly, the knight locked eyes with Seowoon's true body with precision.

The knight thrust his sword, disregarding all defense.

'If I dodge, I die.'

Clenching his teeth, Seowoon steeled himself and infused the essence of a counterattack into his Bloodbone Claw.

-CRUNCH!

The moment their clash ended, Seowoon's forms that had filled the surroundings shattered like glass and rained down.

"Hyung!!!"

The sword that pierced through his right chest had passed through his shoulder and protruded outward.

And the knight, having lost the sword that was like his very life, was thrown back and collapsed.

The wound, pierced by the sword, was turning bright red and oozing pus. The pain was enough to drive him mad.

The knight opened his mouth as he looked at Seowoon, who was grimacing in agony, but instead of words, a cough burst out.

"Cough!"

Seeing the blood mixed in his cough, the knight chose to speak rather than struggle further.

"Craig Gino... That's my name."

His voice was hoarse from a throat wound, but still understandable.

"Jin Seowoon," Seowoon replied, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth with a sword still lodged in his chest.

It might've been unnecessary respect toward a powerful foe.

Maybe it was bravado, or maybe a sentimental response in the face of death.

But there was a strange sense of camaraderie that had formed from a life-or-death battle shared to the fullest.

"You're shockingly young. If it hadn't been a many-versus-one... I could've gained much more. What a shame."

The knight's face, now unmasked, showed more age than expected.

Seowoon nodded at the sight of his graying beard and hair. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

He could feel that the knight's words about having gained something through battle, not items, in Cloyd weren't just talk.

"If it had been otherwise... I can't say for sure it wouldn't be me lying on the ground."

"Is that so? Maybe so... Interesting..."

As the knight's head fell to the side, blood trickled from his neck.

"Hyung."

Seowoon blankly stared at the spot where the knight had vanished, the strange aftertaste of battle lingering, until Kichan called out to him.

It was a space where enemies could appear at any moment.

There was no time to be lost in reflection—how unfortunate.

Pulling out the sword embedded in his chest, Seowoon immediately tried to stop the bleeding, but his form wavered and collapsed to the ground.

Lyle, who had already begun healing with glowing hands as soon as the sword was pulled out, started sweating heavily as his mana drained rapidly.

Once the wound had closed up to a degree, Seowoon quickly opened the chest.

***

[Craig's Sword: A sword passed down through generations in the Craig Gino family, knights of the Kherne Empire.]

[Ring of Toka: Greatly increases magic resistance.]

[Desert Stone: A stone imbued with the energy of the desert of Fulgah.]

[Damaged Obsidian Cuirass: A light armor that increases agility by 30%. Broken and no longer functional.]

There were other obsidian armor pieces, but none had attached effects like the cuirass.

After storing the armor and sword, which filled most of the chest, in subspace, a fist-sized, faintly glowing blue gem appeared.

***

[Ding! You've obtained a Sky Enhancement Stone. Would you like to use it?]

Hearing the rare acquisition chime for the first time in a while, Seowoon handed the gem to Kichan.

"Wait, is this what I think it is?"

"Oh! Jackpot."

Kichan quickly took the enhancement stone, categorized it, and passed it to Lyle.

"I heard about this from my master. It's an enhancement stone created by the ultimate alchemy, capable of permanently enhancing various weapons and armor."

Kichan accepted the stone again and continued.

"Sky Enhancement Stones are famous for high success rates and additional stat boosts. If you sell it, you could easily get 5 billion won."

Seowoon, startled, caught the enhancement stone carefully as Kichan tossed it back.

"How much did you say?"

"Around 5 billion. Not totally sure, but the Earth Enhancement Stone sold for about 3 billion last time. It's not even an overpriced deal considering its value."

His mouth dropped open at the idea that 5 billion wasn't an expensive price.

Kichan gave a wry smile at Seowoon's expression.

"Like Lyle said, it's the result of ultimate alchemy. But to be honest, only players really need this item... So it's traded mainly among them. That's why the market value isn't great."

"Ah..."

"But I've heard that even if you use it in Cloyd, the enhanced item retains its effect in reality. So it's like enhancing an item twice with just one stone."

A unique paradox—and opportunity—of Cloyd Survival.

An item that ignores the usual rule: if you don't have enough coins when returning to reality, any item effects vanish.

In a way, the secret technique Seowoon learned from Jang Docheon's Left Dao School also shared this paradox.

Thanks to that, even without its proper name, Seowoon was able to rapidly develop his inner power through that hidden art.

Those who die in Cloyd don't truly die forever.

So why did the energy he absorbed from their lingering vitality remain permanent?

There was no answer.

It was simply one of Cloyd Survival's many contradictions.

And now, this enhancement stone stirred Seowoon's sense of unease once again.

"Weird, isn't it? The community calls them 'Jump Rule Items.' There are other paradoxical items like the enhancement stone. But those always come with side effects."

"Side effects?"

"Hmm... Just try it once. I don't have any spare items left."

Kichan held up a worn-out staff that looked clearly worse than his previous one.

Seowoon looked back and forth between the enhancement stone and Hamit.

Hamit shivered.

—Don't even think of using that cursed pebble on me. I'm not ready to die just yet.—

'Die? Wait... Don't tell me...'

"Can the item be destroyed too?"

At that, Kichan smiled.

"All enchantments carry risk. If it fails, both the stone and the item are destroyed."

Only now did all of Kichan's words start to make sense.

Seowoon took out the bow strapped to his back and used the enhancement stone.

***

[Would you like to enhance Black Kair's Bow?]

The moment he pressed "O," blue light radiated from the enhancement stone and flowed into the bow.

As the stone lost its glow and shattered—

[Ding! Enhancement successful. Black Kair's Bow has received an option enhancement.]

[Enhanced Black Kair's Bow: A bow made from Black Kair's horn, now blessed by the Sky Enhancement Stone. Increases arrow speed by 70%.]

The original enhancement had increased arrow speed by 15%. Now it was 70%.

Seowoon, who had just risked his life in a sniper duel, knew better than anyone how massive that difference was.

"Just one enhancement did all this?"

"Did it work well?"

"The stats went up fivefold."

"Wow."

Kichan, seeing a successful enhancement for the first time, was just as surprised.

He understood better than anyone what it meant for an item's stats to increase five times.

With the enhanced bow slung over his back, Seowoon now picked up the sword manual.

[Ding! This item is locked.]

"Huh? It's locked?"

Kichan answered again.

"Some items are like that. They're lock items that can only be used if you purchase them with coins. Usually, they're items that provide information."

It was hard to tell if he understood or not.

"Whatever. It's not essential anyway. Let's get moving."

The group exited the Forest of Trials.

Though the terrain was perfect for an ambush, the problem was that fighting in the forest attracted too much attention, and they could easily become the target of multiple squads.

After fleeing the forest and running a long distance, they settled in a terrain surrounded by sand dunes.

"At least our line of sight is fully blocked here."

"Get some rest for now. I'll take first watch."

Seowoon climbed the highest sand dune ridge, lowered his posture, and began keeping watch over the surroundings.

The desert at night was considerably cold, so Kichan and Lyle took out bowling ball–sized, dark red stones and lay near them to rest.

"We'd be in trouble without Desert Stones."

The Desert Stones—items from the Black Knight's chest—radiated intense heat just by existing.

Thanks to them, Kichan and Lyle could maintain body temperature and rest in relative comfort.

Life in the desert was a constant string of tension.

Even if they managed to find a spot with limited visibility, sand dunes would often shift positions overnight, and a sandstorm could mix with probing spells or ranged attacks from enemies.

The cold of the night and the heat of the day quietly wore down their stamina.

"Ahh... That's refreshing."

The Ice Snake Kichan summoned was melting under the hot sun, dripping over three scattered chests and bloodstains dyed into the sand.

Lyle, lying flat on top of the melting snake and clinging to its tail, wore a blissful smile as he soaked in the icy chill.

"We can't stay long."

At Seowoon's warning, the two looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, like children begging for five more minutes of sleep.

If it were just a normal desert heat, they could've resisted it easily using ice-element spells.

But they were in the middle of a deadly survival battlefield—recklessly casting magic and sending out mana waves was out of the question.

So during the blazing midday heat, they could only endure.

Occasionally, after combat encounters, they'd allow themselves a short break by using ice magic like this.

Unlike Seowoon, who could endure through his advanced martial arts, the other two were more heavily affected by the fluctuating desert temperatures.

"Just a little longer."

Saying this, Seowoon climbed up a nearby sand ridge to keep watch, and Kichan and Lyle exchanged smiles as they met eyes.

Day 33 of the game.

It had already been 19 days since they entered the desert.

***

"Survivors."

68 / 400

***

Lyle → Horis (Kill by magic)

Kang Kichan → Strill (Kill by magic)

Jin Seowoon → Rillus (Kill by martial weapon)

Seeing that 68 players still remained, Seowoon felt that this game was dragging on longer than usual.

'Still 68 people...'

As he thought that, a notification rang in his head.

[Ding! One-third of the game has been completed. Transitioning to Map Phase 2. Beware of the reverse field!]

Startled by the announcement, Seowoon looked down the ridge. Kichan and Lyle were already looking up at him.

Seowoon dashed down the slope and gave Kichan a questioning look.

"This is my first time experiencing this too."

As both of them stood confused, Lyle suddenly shouted.

"Hey, the reverse field!"

At his shout, both Seowoon and Kichan opened their maps—and their expressions immediately darkened.

The reverse field was shrinking rapidly from the center of the map.

"H-Hyung! The speed...!"

They didn't need to hear Kichan's full sentence to know—it was obvious.

The shrinking speed was ten times faster than usual.

"Just run!"

Kichan and Lyle quickly pulled out their air boards, kicking up sand as they shot toward the center of the map. Seowoon, too, dashed ahead, using Gale Step.

His light steps left only faint footprints in the sinking sand—his movement technique had clearly improved, but no one pointed it out.

-Hyung! On the left!

The team voice rang in his ears. As he turned his head, a squad of three was sprinting with wary eyes.

They were still far off, but it was obvious—they were heading for the same destination.

[T/L: Read extra Chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]