Those who meet must part.
Even Seowoon's own team members and Jinryung's teammates were crowding around him, celebrating his performance with loud cheers, and soon other players nearby joined in, drawn by the lively energy.
It was standard practice among regulars to memorize the faces of players who had broken into Crown Rank.
Of course, many had already seen him on-screen, but everyone naturally wanted a closer look in person.
If possible, they'd love to exchange a few words, maybe even get on friendly terms.
Just then, someone leapt over the heads of the crowd and landed neatly in the narrow space beside Seowoon.
A boy—with the Crown emblem floating above his head, just like Seowoon.
"Nam Sagwang!"
Someone recognized him and immediately scowled.
It was only natural that both Juriel and Jinryung's teammates would react with open hostility.
After all, excluding Jinryung and Seowoon, every one of them had been defeated by Nam Sagwang.
Had this not been the waiting room, they might've forgotten the gap in skill and tried to jump him out of sheer rage.
"Relax, will you? It's just a game," Sagwang said with a shrug. "I was playing within the rules, enjoying the match. What's everyone getting so worked up about?"
His expression was completely unbothered, without a trace of guilt or resentment.
After calmly addressing the crowd, Sagwang turned his gaze toward Seowoon.
Since he was shorter, he had to look up at him. He gave a crooked smile and spoke.
"Guess I lost this match too. Thanks to you, I'm out of the top 5 again."
"Broke your winning streak, huh? No reward for that anymore. Sorry about that," Seowoon replied, dryly—his face utterly unapologetic.
Sagwang's smile only deepened.
"I've only played nine games so far, and I've failed to hit Top 1 in just three of them. Coincidentally, you were the one who beat me in two of those."
"Maybe we were mortal enemies in a past life. Judging by your behavior, I'd say you've racked up quite a few grudges."
At the mention of his "behavior," Sagwang threw his arms up dramatically.
"Hey, come on. What do you take me for? I don't know how much you know about my world, but I'll have you know I'm a man of the righteous sects."
It wasn't Seowoon who looked surprised—it was the martial artists standing nearby.
A youth who could unleash such powerful internal energy? No one had ever heard of a high-level fighter like that from the orthodox sects.
Everyone who'd met Nam Sagwang had assumed he was from some secretive sect—or maybe even a former Demon Cult master from the previous generation.
Sensing the skeptical stares and furrowed brows of the players around him, Sagwang waved a hand.
"Of course you greenhorn juniors wouldn't know me. I've been in seclusion for over a hundred years! Your parents might've heard of me—maybe your grandparents if they were lucky!"
Jinryung stepped forward and cupped his fist with a tight-lipped expression.
"I didn't expect you to be such a senior member of the martial world. But… are you really a righteous sect warrior?"
His words were polite, but his face clearly questioned how someone claiming to be 'righteous' could act the way Sagwang did.
"I've heard old Yukok's disciple was a stickler for discipline. Ask your master about me—he'll fill you in. So don't interrupt when your elder is speaking."
Just as Sagwang turned his attention back to Seowoon, Seowoon cut in first.
"I'm curious too. Are you really from the righteous sects? Because from what I know, their behavior's a little different. Or are sexual crimes considered trivial in your world's orthodox sects?"
"What?! Assault?! Who the hell said I did that?!"
Even in the waiting room, his internal energy flared out violently, shaking the atmosphere around him.
It didn't exert any physical pressure, but the air grew heavier.
"Oh? So you're denying it? From where I'm standing, it sure looks that way."
"Hah! Don't be ridiculous! I wouldn't do something like that, not for any amount of coin!"
"No physical evidence, huh. But there is circumstantial evidence."
Sagwang scowled at Seowoon, thumping his chest.
"Circumstantial evidence?"
"You only ever beat female players to death. Why?"
At that, Sagwang answered proudly.
"Because I like hitting people—especially women. But back in my world, as a righteous sect warrior and as a decent human being, I couldn't act on that. It wasn't easy, y'know? Holding back that urge my whole life. I was taught that even demon cult women should be struck down with one clean slash—that's the way of a martial artist."
He said it so confidently that for a second, Seowoon nearly nodded in agreement.
All the martial artists around were left speechless by the sheer audacity of his statement.
"So… you're a sadist?" Seowoon asked after a pause, his eyes drifting toward Kichan.
Seowoon nodded in response to Kichan's question.
"A pervert?! That's not it! I just have… a unique kind of desire, that's all!"
Apparently, the concept of "sadism" didn't exist in Sagwang's world—he must have interpreted the word as "pervert."
Seowoon didn't feel the need to explain.
"Anyway, what do you want from me? You didn't come just to say something cliché like 'I'll get you next time,' did you?"
"Of course not. Holding grudges over what happens in a game is a waste of energy. What happens in the game stays in the game. Settle it in the game, and that's it."
"Then what is it?"
"I want to join your fixed quad."
At those unexpected words, not just Seowoon, but many players turned to stare at Sagwang.
Juriel and Lilingyu especially looked disgusted, each gripping one of Seowoon's arms tightly.
But Seowoon ignored their death grips and studied Sagwang's expression instead.
Having a powerhouse who could draw out ganggi like that was like being handed a free carry.
But accepting someone like Sagwang—someone whose motives were unclear and who had only ever been on the opposing side—into a permanent team was risky.
"What's your angle?" Seowoon asked bluntly.
Sagwang gave an equally blunt answer.
"Because of him."
He pointed, and Seowoon followed the direction of his finger to the leaderboard still floating in the center of the waiting room.
The finger was aimed at the very top—at the name Cheonma.
"Cheonma?"
"Yeah. That Cheonma."
"So what about him?"
"There's a grudge between us that not even death can resolve."
"So?"
"I'm going to crush him. In Cloyd and in the real world. Completely."
"What kind of grudge are we talking about?"
"I'll tell you—if you accept me into your quad."
At that, Seowoon glanced toward Kichan and Jinryung.
They exchanged quick glances and gestures.
Then Seowoon shook his head and spoke.
"I'll need to talk it over with my team."
"Then get back to me once you decide. I promise it won't be a bad deal. You probably already know that."
As soon as Nam Sagwang finished speaking and leapt into the air, he vanished into the distance just as he had appeared—by kicking off the ground and soaring through the sky.
No sooner had he disappeared than a system alert rang out.
-Ding! The reward phase will now begin. 10, 9, 8…
"Master. Let's stay in touch even after we return."
"Yes."
As Seowoon responded, all the players except those in the same squad vanished like smoke.
Once the large waiting room had emptied out, only his squad remained.
It was then that the mages and knights who had been standing off to the side entered Seowoon's view.
Receiving his gaze, they began shuffling toward him awkwardly, forced smiles on their faces.
Among them was Kaite, his face pale rather than smiling.
-Ding! Before rewards are distributed, a player vote will begin. Please vote for who you believe was the best player in your squad.
As the alert ended, the faces and names of the other 19 players appeared in front of Seowoon.
Everyone selected one person they thought deserved the title, and soon after, a sound like fireworks erupted along with a cheerful alert.
-Ba-bam! With a unanimous vote excluding himself, Jin Seowoon has been selected as the Honorable Player!
-Next, please vote for the worst player. Ding! Please vote carefully. A player who receives a unanimous vote will be permanently banned from participating in Cloyd Survival. Players who receive many votes will have a penalty applied to their coin rewards.
Seowoon tilted his head at this new system.
There was an option to abstain from voting.
Just as he was about to choose abstain, his eyes stopped on the name "Kaite" on the list.
At that moment, Kaite fell to his knees in front of Seowoon.
"Please spare me just this once!"
Seowoon, unaware of Juriel's earlier threats, looked at him in confusion, and Kichan approached to explain the situation briefly.
"I'll accept all 18 votes. I don't care how much of a penalty I get. Just… please, Jin Seowoon, don't vote for me. If you don't, the Ronis family won't make a move, and I won't get disqualified."
Kaite seemed to have come up with this desperate plan only moments before the rewards began—likely a last-minute calculation to avoid the consequences of Juriel's threat.
"Not bad for someone who doesn't think too clearly."
After hearing the backstory from Kichan, Seowoon realized that if he simply abstained, Kaite wouldn't be disqualified, and no one would suffer retaliation from Juriel in the real world.
Juriel stood nearby, glaring at the kneeling Kaite with a cold expression. But now that her threat was out in the open, the weight of her family's name stopped her from taking it back, and her displeasure was plain on her face.
Seowoon looked down at the man who had his forehead pressed to the floor, begging.
"If that's your situation, then naturally, helping you would be the right thing to do."
At those words, hope lit up Kaite's face as he raised his head.
Then Seowoon moved his finger to cast his vote.
Just as Kaite's hopeful figure began to blur and disappear, Seowoon's voice followed.
"But you're the one who threw away that basic decency first."
-No, please!!!
-Ding! Kaite has been unanimously voted as the Worst Player. His access to Cloyd Survival is now permanently revoked.
The mages and knights looked at Seowoon—who had voted with a smile—as if they couldn't reconcile him with the version they'd seen in the game.
Most of the mages and knights bore the insignia of relatively low-tier Gold Wing ranks above their heads. Seowoon swept his gaze over them with a frosty expression before speaking again.
"I don't know if we'll end up on the same team again, but if you're busy causing internal strife instead of working together in a game like this, you'll never get out of that rank. Honestly, you'll be lucky if you're not eliminated."
At his cold words, the mages and knights instinctively took a step back.
Only one knight, bearing the Black Shield insignia, lowered his head—and Seowoon addressed him too.
"You've got some potential. You've clearly put effort into learning martial skills. If you keep it up and join the right team, you could do pretty well."
As soon as he finished speaking, the coin tallying began.
-Ding! You have received 240 reward coins. You achieved the most kills in this game. Kill bonus! An additional 100 coins awarded. You've placed in the final top 5 for four consecutive rounds. Additional 60 coins awarded. You've placed first for three consecutive rounds. Additional 60 coins awarded. You've earned a notable achievement for hunting an epic monster. Additional 30 coins awarded. You've broken the record for most kills in Cloyd. Additional 50 coins awarded. You've been selected as the Honorable Player. Additional 50 coins awarded.
"590 coins, huh… Getting only 50 for setting the all-time kill record feels kind of stingy. Guess they're making up for it with the title and kill bonuses…"
As Seowoon organized his thoughts, Kichan was the first to rush over and ask,
"Hyung! How many did you get this time?!"
All their teammates turned toward Seowoon, eager for his answer.
Most of them were flushed with excitement, having never seen this many coins before.
"Five hundred ninety."
Everyone except Kichan reacted with shock.
"Wow! I got 285 this time. But since I'm finally getting those consecutive TOP 5 and TOP 1 bonuses, the rewards are starting to stack up."
Everyone else had only received 240 coins, so the shock of Seowoon getting more than double hit hard.
Sure, he had racked up a bunch of achievements, but none of them had expected such a huge gap in rewards.
Juriel joined their conversation.
"There's a system for consecutive bonuses too?"
"Yes. If you place in the TOP 5 two rounds in a row, you get an extra 15 coins, and it doubles with each additional round. For TOP 1, you start getting 30 coins from the second time onward, and that also doubles with each round."
Even someone as knowledgeable as Juriel hadn't known this—no wonder she nodded with interest.
Hearing that the rewards doubled each time made it clear that this system could far outstrip the regular reward structure, and she couldn't hide her shock.
"So that's why you're ranked Crown."
Juriel definitely had a sharp eye for the game.
Tying Seowoon's rank to his coin count was something even the more cunning mages hadn't managed to figure out.
Seowoon smiled at her and nodded.
"Yeah. This game ranks players entirely based on performance. And the only perfectly objective measure of performance is total coin earnings."
"So… a Gold Wing rank means you're hovering around 300 coins?"
"Seems like it."
"Then how much would a Ranker have?"
"No idea."
Seowoon smiled without giving a direct answer, and Juriel returned the smile.
Just as their conversation wrapped up, another system alert rang out.
-Ding-ding-ding! The final top 5 squads will now receive draw tickets.
-You are eligible to spin the wheel three times.
"What's this…"
"A draw?"
"Oh!"
Some players, encountering the draw system for the first time, stared blankly at the spinning wheels that had appeared.
The others, either familiar with it or having heard about it, lit up with anticipation and began spinning one of the ten wheels now floating in the air.
Some groaned with disappointment. Others cheered in triumph. The reward draw had turned into a festival.
Then it was Seowoon's turn.
He stared intently at one wheel before spinning it hard.
-Trtrtrtrtrtr… Ding! You've obtained the Eight Trigrams Formation Book. Congratulations.
Not even flinching, Seowoon immediately spun the wheel again.
"Well, this one's worth 10 coins. Better than that 1-coin Ascro necklace last time."
-Trtrtrtrtrtr… Ding! You've obtained the Spirit-Command Illusion Array. Congratulations.
This time, he got a 50-coin-grade formation book—and a vein popped in his forehead.
And finally, Seowoon spun the wheel with all his strength.
Whirrrrrrrr… Ding! You have obtained the Celestial Elixir. Congratulations.
Seeing the result of the last draw, Seowoon clenched his fist and raised it triumphantly.
He had drawn the only item he truly wanted—the most expensive one, worth 120 coins.
Celestial Elixir. The inner core of a Primordial Spirit, filled with celestial energy. A rare elixir of the ages that brings significant advancement to any martial artist whose middle or upper dantian has opened.
It was the only item he had gained from absorbing a Primordial Spirit.
Once everyone's draw was finished, the item selection screen appeared—bringing the most important and exciting moment for everyone.
The team members were all deep in thought, carefully choosing their items.
Kichan was among them.
Since they had kept a detailed log during distribution, Kichan, being a mage, had no shortage of items to choose from.
Ding! Teammate Jin Seowoon has shared 50 coins with you.
"Huh?"
Just then, Seowoon quietly grabbed Kichan's necklace, infused it with mana, and spoke.
"Your reward for the kill. Thanks for yielding the spot. And I'm not sure if this will be useful, but take this too."
Turning his back so no one else could see, he pulled something out of his subspace and handed it to Kichan.
Kichan's eyes widened as he accepted it.
"This is…"
"Twenty-eight in total. I only need twenty of them. The remaining eight—you might be able to trade them for coins, so keep them."
Kichan quickly put the eight red coins into his subspace.
"Are you sure it's okay to give me these?"
"The stronger you get, the better I'll score."
Kichan's eyes sparkled with emotion, but Seowoon merely let go of the necklace and walked past him.
Seowoon then swiftly finished his own item selection.
Fragmented Secret Manual. Fragmented Secret Manual. Kaiser's Ring. Carrera's Shirt. Insight of the Mad Demon. You have used 240 coins and 20 special coins. Remaining coins will be carried over. Do you wish to complete your item selection?
Seowoon confirmed the selection and began checking his items one by one.
Fragmented Secret Manual. The second piece. If you collect all eight fragments, you will learn its true name.
Fragmented Secret Manual. The third piece. If you collect all eight fragments, you will learn its true name.
'That makes half.'
He had now bought two pieces of the fragmented series using coins for the first time.
Up to now, whether by luck or misfortune, he had only drawn them through random chance. But in this game, although he had picked up two by luck, none came from the draw, so he'd decided to invest his coins.
Kaiser's Ring. Greatly increases agility when equipped.
'Finally got a named ring.'
Since Toka's Ring, he hadn't come across any named accessories. Getting this agility-boosting ring—something he'd only worn in the first game—was a stroke of luck.
Carrera's Shirt. A high-defense shirt made from mithril thread spun by the Iron Arachne after consuming mithril. Slightly increases agility and strength when equipped.
Though it was just a wearable item, its stats made it valuable enough to sell later, which is why he picked it.
Having saved a total of 385 coins, Seowoon waited a moment and saw that everyone had finished choosing their items.
Once the players, who had gone from discussions to outright debates, finalized their picks, Juriel and Lilingwei approached Seowoon.
Juriel held out his hand, while Lilingwei clasped her fists in a martial salute.
—"See you again."
They said the same words with different gestures. Seowoon glanced between the two, shook Juriel's hand, and returned Lilingwei's salute.
"Yes. I'll… be in touch."
Lilingwei glanced sharply at the two shaking hands, but Seowoon didn't notice.
Before their farewell was complete, a system chime rang out.
Thank you for playing. Best of luck in the next game. Your acquired items can be retrieved from your subspace.
With that, his vision shifted—and they returned to reality.
Back atop the mountain training ground, the two looked at each other, their clothes restored from tatters to pristine condition.
"Whew. That was a long game."
In terms of actual game days, it wasn't particularly longer than previous ones. Yet it felt especially drawn out.
"I was just watching from the waiting room halfway through… You did great. Thanks for the carry again."
With a playful grin, Kichan put his hands over his belly button and bowed. Seowoon gave his shoulder a light tap and stood up.
"Let's head up. I just want to get home and sleep for days."
"Yes. How about we meet in a few days to talk item stuff?"
"Sure."
As they sped down the mountain path, Kichan pulled out a few secret manuals and spellbooks, turning them to dust.
Launching themselves onto the Hayabusa, the two rode off toward home, the cool hum of the engine in their ears.
Back home, Seowoon parted ways with Kichan and collapsed straight onto his bed, falling into a deep sleep.
His body wasn't physically tired—but the mental exhaustion was overwhelming.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]