Chapter 66: Occupied Territory Battle

“I’ve taken care of Lee Hyun-seung, so now I’m going to head to the occupied area. Let’s finish this meaningless class

elimination battle. Since we have some time, let’s move slowly.”

As Yoo Hee-yeon was about to move slowly outside, she had a strange feeling as if something had been missed. An

ambiguous and uncomfortable feeling, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

What is it?

Lee Hyun-seung had definitely been teleported out of the stage. That meant he was eliminated. But there was

something important missing.

The elimination message.

Whenever a player is eliminated in an elimination battle, a message is broadcasted. This broadcasted voice is also

used as a tool to help the remaining players quickly assess the opposing team’s strength. However, when Lee Hyun-

seung died, it seemed like no sound was heard.

With a puzzled expression, Yoo Hee-yeon spoke to those who had followed her.

“Did anyone hear the elimination message just now? Why do I feel like I didn’t hear anything?”

As Yoo Hee-yeon asked the question, the crowd began to murmur.

• I don’t think I heard it either.
• Wait, did I hear the broadcast?

No one could say for sure. After all, no one wanted to confidently claim something and risk being wrong, especially

not knowing what Yoo Hee-yeon would do if they were mistaken.

Most people thought the same thing.

[He must have been eliminated.]

They mostly assumed that Lee Hyun-seung had been eliminated. After all, the cave was completely sealed. To get

out, a teleportation of at least 500 meters would be required. But for someone with the Gunslinger class like Lee

Hyun-seung to perform such a long-distance teleportation spell was unthinkable. Moreover, wasn’t he not even

equipped with his primary weapon right now?

Despite all this, the reason no one could say for sure that he was eliminated was because no one heard the

broadcasted voice. The voice confirming the elimination never played.

Logically, it made sense that he had been eliminated. He suffered fatal damage, and his body disappeared five

seconds later. There was no elimination voice, but all the circumstantial evidence pointed to his elimination. Yet, no

one dared to speak out first.

With a serious expression, Yoo Hee-yeon muttered to herself.

“Why didn’t I hear the broadcast?”

At that moment, Jo Eun-bi, who had been watching from a distance, spoke up.

“I… I heard the broadcast.”

Shh!

In an instant, all eyes turned to Jo Eun-bi. Yoo Hee-yeon looked at her and asked,

“Are you sure you heard it? I didn’t hear anything.”

“I was at the very back, so I think it only reached me… Since the voice is broadcast from the center of the cave’s

outside, it probably didn’t reach those deeper inside.”

A brief silence followed. Yoo Hee-yeon stared at Jo Eun-bi without saying a word. A faint cold sweat began to form

on Jo Eun-bi’s face, one that no one else could notice.

After a short pause, Yoo Hee-yeon finally spoke.

“Hm… That might be the case. Well, if that clears up the doubt, let’s move on.”

Gulp.

Jo Eun-bi swallowed nervously.

It was a lie. She had never heard the elimination broadcast. Yet, she had lied.

Shh!

She closed her eyes and recalled the moment.

When Lee Hyun-seung was stabbed by Yoo Hee-yeon’s attack and in agony, Jo Eun-bi had clearly seen it. Lee Hyun-

seung had pressed the barrel of his gun to his own chest.

Lee Hyun-seung had once been paralyzed by eating a magic stone while trying to escape. Back then, he shot himself

in the chest with his gun and rapidly healed his body, recovering from his physical condition, debuffs, and wounds. If

the magazine he loaded this time had the same healing effect, he definitely wouldn’t have given up.

I don’t know how, but…

How the Gunslinger could teleport was unclear, but if Lee Hyun-seung hadn’t given up, it meant he didn’t get

eliminated and teleported out. Instead, he had likely teleported away on his own.

He probably wants to hide it…

Having seen that Lee Hyun-seung had deliberately endured an attack to hide his use of teleportation, Jo Eun-bi

believed there must be a reason for it. Therefore, she decided to help him.

‘What would happen if we get caught?’

If it turned out that Lee Hyun-seung hadn’t been eliminated, Jo Eun-bi, who had confidently claimed to have heard

the elimination message, would become the target of Yoo Hee-yeon’s reprimand.

Gulp.

Her arms trembled with fear. The cold glare and words of Yoo Hee-yeon, backed by the Artemis Guild’s authority,

were terrifying. However, despite her fear, she walked on.

‘Yes… even if this is all I can do… even if it’s not much…

She couldn’t help actively, having only stood by when she was unjustly suspended in the past. Fear had always held

her back. She had been timid and afraid, unable to do anything impressive.

But today, she mustered a little courage. Perhaps Lee Hyun-seung had really been eliminated, and in that case, her

actions might mean nothing. But if the opposite was true, she had no idea how big an impact her courage would

have. It could be bigger than expected—or perhaps, smaller. But that didn’t matter. As she followed Yoo Hee-yeon,

Jo Eun-bi silently prayed for Lee Hyun-seung.

‘Please… I hope you achieve what you want. I hope my actions have been of some help.’

She wished for his victory.

At the same time, the members of Class A, who had been tracking Lee Hyun-seung, were in pursuit. Meanwhile, at

the second control point, there was also a confrontation.

Excluding the 42 members of Class A chasing Lee Hyun-seung, the remaining 18 had been dispatched to control the

first to the sixth points. This meant that three people were sent to each control point.

Among them, the team heading to the second control point was also composed of three members, led by the scruffy-

haired knight, Kang Jun-hyung, in Yoo Hee-yeon’s absence.

“Jeong Eun-seo…” Kang Jun-hyung arrived at the second control point and was horrified upon seeing Jeong Eun-seo

already on the point. He couldn’t believe it.

‘How did she get here so fast?’

It was true that Class A had been delayed in their movement due to Yoo Hee-yeon, but the delay hadn’t been that

long. Kang Jun-hyung, an [Epic] grade knight, along with Jeong Sae-ron, also an [Epic] grade mage, and Nam In-

woo, an [Epic] grade thief, were all of high physical ability. And yet, how had a group from Class F, weaker than

them, arrived at the point first?

‘About 20 people?’

As Kang Jun-hyung scanned the control point, he saw Jeong Eun-seo standing there, arms crossed, surrounded by a

horde of Class F members. Roughly 20 of them were gathered behind her.

‘They didn’t spread out, they gathered them together.’

He figured that similar groups of F-class members must have gathered at other points as well. The bold decision by

Class F surprised Kang Jun-hyung.

‘If they had split their forces, they could’ve controlled three points, but now they seem to be abandoning the rest.’

The conditions for winning in a control point battle are as follows:

1. Capture all the control points.
2. Eliminate all opponents.
3. Have more control points at the end of the game.

Kang Jun-hyung believed that the only way Class F could defeat Class A was by capturing all the control points. To

do so, they would need to move fast and avoid combat. But that seemed impossible, as Class A wouldn’t just stand by

and watch them take all the points.

‘What are they trying to do?’

It seemed that Class F had decided to abandon all but three control points, but there was no clear path for them to

win under such a strategy. Without overwhelming control of the points or the ability to eliminate all opponents,

Class F couldn’t secure victory. Even if the game ended under ideal conditions, with only three points captured, Class

F still wouldn’t win.

‘Is this a trap?’

Considering all the situations, the thought that arose was a trap.

Could it be that they set up some kind of trap to reduce their numbers, no matter how small? It sounded absurd, but

what if F-Class wasn’t trying to occupy the points to win, but rather trying to eliminate all the A-Class members to

win?

This thought made Kang Jun-hyung hesitate to approach Jeong Eun-seo.

Then, Jeong Eun-seo shouted from atop the point.

“Before the match started, you all said F-Class was nothing, but why are you now so hesitant to come closer?”

Jeong Eun-seo provoked Kang Jun-hyung and gave a small wave of her hand behind her. Then, one of the F-Class

members placed their hand on the point capture button.

[2nd point has been captured by F-Class.]

The broadcast echoed in the air. At that moment, Nam In-woo, the thief standing beside Kang Jun-hyung, yelled out

in frustration.

“Kang Jun-hyung! What the hell is going on? Damn, these guys are F-Class. Why are you freaking out? Are you

scared or something?”

With his impulsive nature, Nam In-woo blamed Kang Jun-hyung, but Kang Jun-hyung didn’t respond emotionally.

“Nam In-woo, calm down. Look at the number of F-Class members. They never intended to win by capturing the

points. That means the only way they can win is by taking us out. There might be a trap set up. We can always retake

the points, so let’s stay cautious and fight carefully.”

Nam In-woo muttered under his breath.

“Bullshit. You always act so calm and high-and-mighty, but you’re just a coward, aren’t you? Why? Are you scared

now because there are about 20 of them? If you’re scared, I’ll take care of it.”

With that, Nam In-woo gripped his crescent-shaped daggers and started walking toward the 2nd point. He then

shouted to Kang Jun-hyung.

“I’ll take care of these bugs, so make sure to tell Yoo Hee-yeon how I crushed them. If I do the work, I should get the

reward, right? Make sure I get a generous one.”

Jeong Sae-ron, standing next to Kang Jun-hyung, sighed and shook her head.

“Kang Jun-hyung, just let him do it. Do you really think F-Class is going to beat us? Even though Jeong Eun-seo’s

there, I’ll back him up from behind.”

However, Kang Jun-hyung ignored Jeong Sae-ron’s words and shouted at Nam In-woo, who was moving forward.

“There’s nothing more foolish than acting based on assumptions about the enemy’s strength. I gave the orders, so

stop! I was given control of the situation by Yoo Hee-yeon, so stay back and…”

“Stop talking nonsense and just stay back while I take care of everything.”

-BOOM-!

At that moment, as Nam In-woo rushed forward, Jeong Eun-seo’s voice echoed through the area.

“Everyone, get ready!”

The members behind her all reached out toward her, and mana flowed into her from their extended hands.

Then, Jeong Eun-seo cast her spell.

[Lightning Storm]

-CRACKLE-!

In an instant, dark storm clouds began to gather in the sky.

As the spell was being cast, Jeong Eun-seo recalled the words Lee Hyun-seung had said to her.

• “Jeong Eun-seo, I believe in you. You can hold the point. Just hold on a little longer, I’ll come to help.”

She stretched her staff upward toward the sky, thinking,

‘I’ll protect this place. I will definitely.’