Rank System Update.
-KWA-AANG!
For several minutes, an unrelenting torrent of magic spells, sword aura, and Namsagwang's water force rained down on a single spot. When it finally stopped, the area was nothing but a thick cloud of dust—nothing could be seen.
Just as everyone stopped attacking as if on cue, Namsagwang shouted,
"What are you doing?! Keep attacking!"
He could still feel the overwhelming pressure of Seowoon's qi—the sign of how finely attuned his own senses were. But the other martial artists and mages hadn't felt it yet.
Not yet.
As the wind blew through and cleared the dust, Seowoon appeared—unscathed.
His body was wrapped in flowing celestial energy that surged like a river, filling every meridian with power. He gripped his chainsword tightly with both hands, his gaze sharpening.
Only then did everyone understand why Namsagwang had screamed and unleashed his aura in panic.
As if prey facing a predator, the players, gripped with primal fear, resumed their attack in a frenzy.
Magic spells and sword qi came flying again—but Seowoon didn't even try to defend. Instead, his body flared with radiant blue light and shot forward.
-KWA-KWANG!
***
"…W-What the…"
Kichan opened his mouth, trying to speak, but his words caught in his throat, his eyes fixed on the screen.
He wasn't alone. Every player watching was stunned into silence.
Even those whose games had already ended—who should have returned to their original worlds—were somehow still trapped in the waiting room. Over a thousand players sat in rapt silence, all eyes on the screen.
Looking at Seowoon, Kichan suddenly recalled an old game he'd played.
"Was it... Dynasty Warlords Unleashed?"
A warlord character who charged alone into armies of hundreds, mowing them down like weeds. The memory played out now in reality before his very eyes.
"…Musou…"
He barely got the word out, but every nearby player nodded in agreement.
There was no more fitting term.
***
-BOOM!
Seowoon charged right up to the cluster of mages. Bursting forth with celestial energy from his Yongcheonhyul, he stomped forward with Jin-gak, shattering the ground. Most of the mages fell to the earth in a heap.
The martial artists and knights barely managed to keep their footing, but the mages had no such skill or stability.
-WHOOOSH-BOOM! WHOOOSH-BOOM! WHOOOSH-BOOM!
Seowoon swung his chainsword, now extended over thirty meters. The mages, unable even to scream, were torn apart, painting the earth red.
-DING DING DING!
Red coins burst forth and clattered to the ground, but Seowoon didn't spare them a glance. He only continued sweeping through the players.
"S-Stop him! Just stop him somehow!"
The leader of one of the guilds shouted, hurling a spear that glowed blood red.
Seowoon caught it mid-air with one hand, then hurled it right back. It pierced through the man's shoulder, and he went tumbling back into the crowd, vanishing from sight.
"There's no time."
Even as he slaughtered players, urgency gripped Seowoon's heart.
The celestial energy he had absorbed was only temporary.
Though he wasn't out yet, the immense power would soon evaporate the more he used it—burning off like steam even if he stood still.
After all, this energy wasn't meant to be stored in a human body.
Especially not in Seowoon's current state—it was a miracle he could even use it at all.
So he charged, determined to strike before it was too late.
-SLASHHHHH!
With a single stroke, he bisected a dozen knights. Seowoon danced through the battlefield, cutting off enemies who tried to scatter, his speed accelerating with each step.
Like a tiger thrown into a herd of sheep, he tore through the field. It had only been a few minutes when the shout he feared the most finally rang out:
"R-Run! We can't beat him!"
At that cry, the remaining enemies scattered in every direction. Less than half remained.
"No! I won't let that happen!"
Seowoon crouched, gathering celestial energy into his chainsword, then spun with explosive force.
The condensed qi spread out from him like ripples in a pond—pure destructive energy radiating outward.
When the wave of qi vanished, the sight it left behind was horrific.
Most of the fleeing players had been sliced at the waist, their bodies strewn across the ground. Blood gushed out, turning the entire arena into a lake of crimson.
In less than five minutes, only five players remained standing.
The guild master, gripping his spear and bleeding from the shoulder. Namsagwang. And three mages who looked reasonably skilled in martial arts.
Namsagwang surveyed the brutal scene and spoke:
"Just a shell before, but once imbued with will, it's wielding terrifying power."
His voice now carried an odd calm—unlike before.
Before Seowoon could reply, the guild leader, who was patching his wounded shoulder with a torn scroll, added:
"I never imagined it was temporary power. If I had… we would've retreated immediately. A single misjudgment wiped out the entire guild."
Seowoon glanced between them, then reached out with his hand. The red coins scattered across the field flew into his palm.
"Hoo…"
Celestial energy trickled back into the qi paths that had gone empty from his earlier outburst. He exhaled, then dashed toward Namsagwang.
-KAANG!
Namsagwang blocked with his water force, stopping the chainsword, and roared,
"What are you doing?! Get over here!"
The guild master, his shoulder barely recovered, rushed in and slashed his spear toward Seowoon's back.
Both of them noticed the blue aura surrounding Seowoon was much fainter than before. His strength was waning.
Had it been earlier, Seowoon could've slain them in a few moves. But he had poured everything into stopping the retreating players.
Now, his only chance was to kill these two before his power faded completely.
He could run—he was fast enough to escape them. But doing so would mean forfeiting a top-tier rank in this trial.
"Kill them all or die here!"
Even as he pushed them back, spells to bind his legs or restrict his movement pestered him. But Seowoon had no energy to spare for the mages.
-KRRRCH!
"You're weakening, huh?"
Namsagwang sneered as he parried the chainsword with his water force. Seowoon's movements were finally beginning to falter.
In an instant, Seowoon's number had increased to twelve. One of his clones suddenly charged at an enemy who had been trying to stab him from behind.
The startled enemy tried to retreat without hesitation, but his escape path was already blocked. Seowoon swung his chainsword.
-KRAK!
"Graaaagh!"
The man screamed and collapsed, writhing on the ground as his right shoulder and knee were sliced off by the brutally massive chainsword.
"You idiot!"
Nam Sagwang cursed as he belatedly blocked the enemy's front, but the writhing man was too consumed by pain to hear him clearly.
"Hurry and heal!"
The fact that he could say that even after losing limbs meant he had a way to recover.
There was no way Seowoon, now twelve in number, would just stand by and let that happen.
-KAKANG!
"What are you—?"
Nam Sagwang's words were cut short, distracted by the wounded enemy even as he faced off against Seowoon.
"Guhk!"
Blood gushed from his mouth—more than a handful—as a chainsword burst through his chest from behind. His expression was one of disbelief.
He was sure he had blocked Seowoon's main body in front of him. He hadn't paid much attention to the surrounding clones. And yet, one of them had driven a chainsword through his back and out his chest. It didn't make any sense.
"How…?"
Even before he could finish the sentence, the Seowoon in front of him blurred like a mirage and vanished.
"Splitting my qi in half was a gamble… but you took the bait. Lucky me."
Ever since absorbing Wonyoungshin, Nam Sagwang had been acting with extreme caution, always ready to flee. Seowoon hadn't expected this gamble to have high odds of success.
If Nam Sagwang hadn't fallen for it, the plan was to kill the guild leader and take out the mages in the rear, aiming for third place.
But now, with his qi nearly depleted and only a faint blue glow remaining around him, Seowoon didn't bother to answer Nam Sagwang's final question. He simply swung his chainsword upward.
Nam Sagwang, already cut in half at the knees, gushed blood as his body collapsed lifelessly. Almost simultaneously, Seowoon's foot landed atop the rolling head of the guild leader.
-CRACK.
The moment both were dead, Seowoon bolted toward the mages.
Chains continued to rise from the ground, trying to bind his feet with magical restraints.
"Hammit!!!"
–Understood, Master.–
The chains narrowly missed. The chainsword in Seowoon's hand transformed into bandages and wrapped around his arm.
–BOOOOM!
A giant, flaming rock erupted from the cracked earth, but Seowoon's fist shattered it into fragments that scattered in all directions. Then, trailing the last of his blue glow, he swept past the cluster of three mages.
His passing hand was stained with thick blood, and moments later, crimson fountains burst from the necks of the stunned mages. Their bodies collapsed with a delayed thud.
[Ding-ding-ding! The Cloyd Survival has ended.]
[Brrrrrram! Congratulations on becoming the final Quad!
You have earned the right to participate in the next game.
You will receive the highest reward from this round.]
[You have achieved the highest kill count in Cloyd history.
You are now granted the title Mad Legend of Massacre.
While this title is held, all base stats in future Cloyd games will increase by 10%.
This title will be passed on if a new player surpasses your record.]
Amid the chaotic announcements, Seowoon stared wistfully at the spot where Nam Sagwang's lifeforce had dissipated into nothingness.
He tilted his head slightly.
At the very end, he had hesitated—whether to absorb Nam Sagwang's lifeforce or to eliminate the remaining mages first.
Absorbing it would've made it difficult to deal with the others' magic in that brief moment, and they would've almost certainly fled.
So, instead of opening the Drain Gate to take in the lifeforce, he chose to secure second place by killing them all for sure.
He didn't regret it. But saying he had no regrets at all would've been a lie.
Now that the game was suddenly over, Seowoon was dumbfounded.
'Why did the game end?'
He had just been about to start looting over 200 chests scattered across the battlefield. Now, with the game ending, he'd have to leave them all behind.
He looked at the neatly laid-out loot and let out a frustrated sigh.
"If I'd absorbed them all, I could've easily broken three caps…"
–WAAAAAAAH!
Before his words had even finished, a thunderous roar of cheering erupted. Players began pouring in toward him.
"Why so soon…?"
Surely Jinryung should still be alive. Why had the game ended already?
"Hyung! How come?"
Naturally, Seowoon asked Jinryung, who came sprinting alongside Kichan at the front of the group. Jinryung smiled as he answered.
"I was watching the survivor list. When you took out the last three, I figured—no need for brothers to shed blood over first place. I have a conscience too, you know. Couldn't bring myself to fight you when you were already exhausted."
"Ah…"
Now it made sense. Jinryung had been hiding, keeping an eye on the list. But before he could return, Seowoon had wiped out all the other players, leaving just the two of them.
He must have felt conflicted about that—and so he chose to end his own life.
Seowoon appreciated the gesture… though he still felt a pang of regret.
'At least let me finish looting first…'
He couldn't bring himself to say it aloud.
Surrounded now by Jinryung and Juriel's entire squad, all gazing at him with sparkling eyes, Seowoon finally sensed something was off.
"Huh? Why are players from other squads…"
Not just Jinryung's group—players from all remaining survivor zones were here in the waiting room.
Seowoon trailed off.
Looking around, it didn't seem like anyone was in a position to explain what was going on.
Just then, as a player pushed through the crowd to approach Seowoon, Lilingwi opened her mouth to speak—
–Ding! Congratulations to all surviving fixed players. I'm the GM from Server 120 in charge of this game.
All 1,200 players turned their attention to the source of the voice.
A large screen materialized overhead, and a strange glowing orb flickered onscreen.
–Due to a new rule update, we'll need to briefly delay your reward collection.
At the word "update," every player held their breath and focused on the screen.
As the flickering orb began to sway again, the announcement continued:
–A new ranking system has been added for all Cloyd Survival players.
Since most fixed matches are duos or squads, this system is designed to help you make better team decisions.
It's a slightly different kind of update than the previous guild revision…
Most players tilted their heads at the mention of a rank system, but players like Seowoon and Kichan, who were from Earth, immediately understood what it meant on an intuitive level.
"Now, we'll begin applying the update. Please continue striving to be an outstanding Cloyd player!"
At that moment, the light on the screen disappeared, and a radiant emblem appeared above each player's head, glowing with a special effect.
"Is this colored wing my rank?"
"Mine's silver, and I've got two wings!"
"Then does that mean my gold wings with three feathers are ranked higher?"
As the players began chattering, one of them, whose emblem bore a different design, spoke up.
"Then what about me? I've got a blue sword above my head."
"Mine's white with a jewel embedded in the sword."
The voices belonged to a knight and a warrior who had performed quite well in the game. Instantly, everyone's attention shifted toward them.
The noisy hall suddenly fell silent at someone's exclamation.
"That person has a crown!"
It was an emblem so intuitive that no explanation was needed to understand it symbolized something extraordinary.
And when the word crown was mentioned, everyone turned to look at Seowoon.
Juriel, Lilingwei, Jinryung, and Kichan—all of whom had white jeweled sword emblems—also found their eyes drawn to Seowoon, whose emblem was none other than a crown.
"Oh! I forgot to explain the rank system. Hehe. The basic ranks, starting from the lowest, are the wing tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Above that are the shield tiers: Black, Blue, and White. Then come the sword tiers: Black Sword, Blue Sword, and White Sword. Only the top 4% of players receive the White Sword rank."
Some people's faces fell with disappointment, while others straightened their shoulders with pride.
"Then what's the crown?!"
"Ah! I nearly forgot the Crown rank. What an amazing game, to have two Crown players this time. The Crown rank is the highest possible tier, with no color classification. Only 150 players across the entire server have earned it. You can be proud of it as much as you want."
"Of course, these ranks can change based on future gameplay. Don't be discouraged if your current rank is low. Work hard and climb the ranks. In Cloyd, yesterday's prey can become tomorrow's predator. Enjoy the world to the fullest!"
With that final message, the glowing figure disappeared from the screen.
In its place, a list began appearing—names ranked from 1 to 150.
1. Cheonma (Warrior. Planet of origin: Paichen)
2. Doinel Typh (Knight. Planet of origin: Synel)
3. ...
...
149. Nam Sagwang (Warrior. Planet of origin: Paichen)
150. Jin Seowoon (Warrior. Planet of origin: Earth)
Seowoon's eyes followed the list all the way to the end. When he saw his own name at rank 150, he suddenly understood how the ranking system had been scored.
'So this is based purely on in-game performance. It's not a measure of personal strength.'
If Nam Sagwang was ranked 149, then it made no sense for Seowoon to be considered on a similar level.
While he was thinking that, Jinryung and Kichan clapped him on the back, pulling him into a joyful hug.
"Top rank! That's amazing, Master!"
"Hyung! This is like getting Challenger rank—the highest tier in games that have ranked modes!"
Other players gathered around the trio, surrounding Seowoon in a wave of congratulations and celebration.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]
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