Chapter 129


    [Trantor – Kshn]


    [Proofreader – Kshn]


    Chapter 129


    The Survival Map, ‘Experimental Zone’.


    This map, widely utilized from Gold League matches for those over level 75 to Diamond League, was known for being highly influenced by luck.


    One hundred yers were ced in three zones: Red, Yellow, and Green, with the objective to survive until only 50 yers remained.


    It was, in many ways, aptly named a “Survival” map.


    – Oh. The Experimental Zone, huh? Finally, the survival map changed lol


    – I thought this map would’ve been selected earlier lol


    – Yeah, rememberst time when a different map was picked when he went beyond the League. This one could have been picked.


    ‘This is somewhat unexpected.’


    Before the game started, Seong Jihan thought to himself while reading the chat.


    In the past, higher league matches were picked because of exceeding the limit.


    Now, despite a much wider gap than before, the system allocated maps appropriate for the level.


    ‘Did it change because of what happened during the Top 100 match?’


    Maybe it was because changing the map indiscriminately, and having the Constetion of the Dead Star intervene, had caused trouble.


    Although experience points were distributed, when it came to map allocation, it felt somewhat restrained.


    For Jihan, who wanted fast growth, this wasn’t exactly wee.


    ‘Well, if I follow the standard progression, I won’t be a Diamond Rank until December.’


    He decided to think positively until 2020.


    In order to prepare for the opening game of the Space League in 2021, he needed to stay at tinum until this December at least.


    – So, which zone were you ced in?


    – Oh, Red.


    – Ah… Unlucky to get Red ?? What will you do ??


    Viewers, who knew Seong Jihan’s gamey better than the yer himself, expressed their concerns despite being well aware of his prowess.


    – So he won’t get 1st ce this time?


    – ???? It’s Seong Jihan, how could he not get 1st?


    – Red Zone doesn’tst long, does it ??


    Jihan looked around.


    The Red Zone of the Experimental Zone.


    This ce was a decisive factor where luck yed a significant role in the Experimental Zone map.


    ‘Hmm……’


    The surrounding scenery wasn’t anything special.


    A wide open space.


    Fourteen yers, summoned just like him, were shaking with anxiety, looking around.


    All around the yers, wallsposed of a red light tightly enveloped the area.


    A ce fitting to be called the Red Zone.


    “Ah… Damn. So unlucky. How did we end up here?”


    “We’re screwed… Is this a level down…”


    Initially, the yers who were cursing their luck innding here, upon seeing Jihan, transformed into figures who seemed to have met their savior.


    “Oh, it’s Seong Jihan!”


    “Mr. Seong Jihan! Please lead us!”


    – ??? Do they even know this is survival?


    – Lol, why are they happy? Being near Jihan means you get killed first, right?


    – They might be counting on Jihan’s mercy!


    – Well… there’s no mercy from Jihan.


    – That’s not true! How can Mr. Seong Jihan be anything but magnanimous!


    Jihan, watching his fans give ultimate shields in the chat, let out a small chuckle.


    ‘Magnanimous, huh.’


    That’s millions of years away from him.


    [The game is starting.]


    As the game start message appeared, Jihan summoned his Shadow Sword Eclipse immediately.


    Swish!


    Nameless Divine Art, Triad of Martial Mastery – Total Annihtion.


    As he swung horizontally, 14 yers simultaneously met their end in two slices.


    Among them,


    “Ugh… That’s too much…”


    “We asked you to lead us…”


    There were also those who asked Jihan to lead them.


    – Magnanimous…?


    – Gloriously impartial, isn’t it! He granted death to everyone! How egalitarian!


    – Kyah… That’s even more first-ss!


    After achieving 14 kills in a single instance, Seong Jihan casually opened his mouth.


    “Why are they asking me to take lead in a survival map?”


    Survival map.


    A game of survival of the fittest, ending once only 50 percent of the survivors remain.


    He couldn’t understand at all why anyone would seek help from others in that environment.


    ‘Besides, I don’t remember this map, so there’s nothing I can lead them to.’


    Experimental Zone.


    Since this was a survival map that was only avable during the tutorial, he had absolutely no recollection of how to navigate it.


    So, being true to the survival mode, he massacred nearby yers.


    – Ah. But normally, to survive on this map, everyone cooperates in their respective zones…


    – That’s meaningless in the Red Zone ????


    – ?? Isn’t quickly wiping out the people in the Red Zone rather a good strategy to rank first?


    – But it’s a problem if there are too few survivors in the Red Zone…


    Before the audience could finish speaking.


    sh! sh!


    With only one yer left, a glow began to emit from the red walls of the Red Zone.


    [Experiment subjects, abnormal extinction.]


    [Proceeding to eliminate the Irregr.]


    With that sound, a swarm of light approached Seong Jihan instantly.


    The pressure exerted by the red light was quite threatening even to Sung Jihan, who had acquired the Martial Soul.


    If it was before, it would be so dangerous that the probability of death would honestly be higher.


    ‘That is a lot of pressure.’


    Is this why the viewers said that he won’t be able to rank first because he’s in the Red Zone?


    Just as Seong Jihan was about to collide with the approaching red light.


    ‘There’s no time to rx right now.’


    For the time being, he found a path.


    ‘There’s space there.’


    In the steadily encroaching light, a slight space opened up in one ce.


    For a regr yer, the gap was subtle enough to be difficult to notice.


    Even the old Seong Jihan would have found it hard to squeeze through such a narrow gap.


    However, now he had Martial Soul.


    Even a small crack, as long as there was a gap, could be breached.


    Nameless Divine Arts, Footwork Technique – shing Sky Thunder Steps


    Although he used the same movement technique as before.


    Now, unlike the previous times, he escaped through the gap as if he had teleported.


    Zzzzzip!


    The moment he escaped.


    The ce where he had stood waspletely engulfed by the red light.


    ‘Powerful.’


    The intense, overwhelming light of destruction.


    The ground where Seong Jihan and the 14 others had stoodpletely melted away.


    At the very bottom, only dark steel remained, giving an alien feeling.


    [Elimination failed.]


    [Proceeding toplete incineration…]


    And as Seong Jihanpletely avoided the red light, another voice rang out.


    ‘Complete incineration, huh…’


    Seong Jihan looked around.


    As the red light, which had been a wall, gathered in the center, it became an open space all around.


    All directions were like exits from this ce.


    As Seong Jihan pondered which direction to choose.


    [Master. Over there.]


    Ariel, transformed into Shadow Sword Eclipse, conveyed her intention.


    Ariel pointed to one spot at the north from the center.


    ‘There?’


    [Yes. The other spaces are fake.]


    ‘How do you know?’


    [If this space is truly ‘that ce’… then that is the exit. Go there to prove my hypothesis. You can’t die anyway, can you? It’s just a game.]


    ‘If I die here, won’t I miss out on ranking first?’


    [Exactly. Trust me a little.]


    Ariel’s voice, more confident than usual.


    ‘Alright.’


    Seong Jihan decided to ept her appeal once.


    It was a decision made because he was confident that he could survive well enough even if that path was not the correct answer.


    Whoosh!


    As Seong Jihan swiftly broke through the north,


    [Complete incineration,mencing.]


    Whooooo…!


    Except for the part from which Seong Jihan escaped, green mes rose from all directions.


    A power much stronger than the red lights from moments before.


    [A green me, I was right.]


    Ariel, having witnessed this, spoke with a voice full of certainty.


    [This is, the Elf Experiment Zone.]


    * * * * *


    Experiment Zone.


    This map was quite a peculiar map for Seong Jihan.


    ‘It only appeared during the tutorial.’


    Numerous maps through which he had passed.


    Whether it was the colosseum or bridge.


    These kinds of games often brought back previous maps, with some changes, after the tutorial ended, whenever the stage changed.


    While the map settings slightly varied, the prior y experience was somewhat relevant and helpful.


    But the Experiment Zone was a map that had not opened once since it only appeared in the tutorial.


    ‘And the entity operating this ce was the elves?’


    The space quickly darkened as the green me that shone a bit earlier disappeared.


    No matter how he looked around, it was a ce that does not fit the general image of elves at all.


    This ce is associated with them?


    ‘Did the elves create this?’


    [Yes. It has the same structure as the Experiment Zone I saw. It was on a destroyed.]


    ‘A destroyed…’


    [Every the World Tree Association passed had a ce like this. Especially this Central Zone had a wall made of red light, with a green me existing in it. There were more than a couple of Shadow Elves who lost their lives to that green me while investigating this space.]


    ‘A power strong enough to annihte Shadow Elves…’


    [Even though it waspletely empty when we found it, those mes of destruction still existed.]


    Then Ariel, with a subtle voice, asked Seong Jihan.


    [Shall we take a look inside? I want to see how this zone is actually operated. Aren’t you curious about what the owner is doing here?]


    ‘Let’s go out first.’


    Seong Jihan exited the Red Zone.


    Then.


    [General Achievement, ‘Escape from the Red Zone’ has been sessfully aplished.]


    [Achievement points 5,000 are awarded.]


    [Hidden Quest, ‘Solo Escape from the Red Zone,’ has been sessfully aplished.]


    [Achievement points 30,000 are awarded.]


    ‘Was it that difficult?’ Gaining 35,000 achievement points with one y.


    It was evidence that escaping the Red Zone was no easy task.


    Seong Jihan managed to breach it easily, purely thanks to Martial Soul and Ariel.


    ‘New maps are indeed nice.’


    As he smiled while looking at the achievement rewards he hadn’t seen in a while,


    [You have cleared a Hidden Quest.]


    [An Epic Quest will be unlocked.]


    [Epic Quest]


    [Discover the entity that created the Experiment Zone and uncover the purpose of the experiments.]


    [Rewards: Achievement points 100,000 / ?]


    An Epic Quest emerged.


    Normally, they give 50,000, but the reward was raised to 100,000 points.


    On top of that, an unknown reward was additionally provided.


    ‘I must clear it.’


    He had been wondering how to earn points after spending so much.


    100,000 points.


    He needed to clear it, no matter what it took.


    The quest says to find the entity…


    ‘Are the elves in the Experiment Zone now?’


    Seong Jihan looked around.


    After escaping the Red Zone, it was entirely dark with not a single light in the empty space.


    – So this is what it looks like outside the Red Zone. Is there nothing at all now?


    – Who knows? There has to be someone who escaped to know


    – No one has managed to escape until now?


    – Yeah. Even if you’re Diamond Rank, you can sort of block the red wall with team y, but they couldn’t handle the green me that popped out earlier.


    – So if you get caught in the Red Zone, you just ept that you stepped in shit and die lololol


    – Is that why it’s so empty here? Did BattleNet not create content, thinking nobody would get out?


    – Does BattleNet look that sloppy to you lololol


    As if to refute the im that they didn’t create content, the deste external area of the Red Zone.


    Seong Jihan could see his surroundings as if it were broad daylight even in the darkness.


    “Really, there’s nothing here.”


    No matter how much he looked, he couldn’t find even a small trace, let alone an elf.


    ‘Ariel. Do you know anything?’


    [Hmm. This space… is actually inside a gigantic seed shell.]


    ‘A seed?’


    Just how big is the seed, that it canprise this massive space?


    [Yes. We called it the Seed of the World Tree. When we entered, we broke the shell wall from the outside… It looked exactly like this at that time. There was this Red Zone in the central part, and the rest waspletely empty.]


    ‘Hmm… If we’re inside a seed, we should be able to see something like a shell wall here. But there’s none.’


    [Wall? Now that you mention it, we could see it when our research team entered, but now it’s not visible.]


    Ariel’s information was useful until they escaped the incineration, but from this point on, she seemed to be just as clueless.


    ‘Let’s go to the end, at least.’


    Since they knew they were inside a seed.


    Seong Jihan decided to simply run.


    He thought that something might be visible if he went to the end of the space.


    Just as he was about to use shing Sky Thunder Steps again.


    sh! sh!


    Above the ce where the Red Zone had been, a bright white light burst forth.


    And from within it, a huge green portal was created.


    “Uaaargh!”


    “What, what is this? Why already!”


    And through that portal, people were falling to the ground.


    They were yers, ying the Survival map just like Seong Jihan.


    – The Red Zone got rearranged so quickly, lol. This is historically quick, isn’t it?


    – Because the Red Zone emptied out in a sh due to Seong Jihan. It’s replenishing immediately.


    When all yers in the Red Zone die, 15 of the survivors are randomly selected and repositioned there.


    The yers became sacrifices of the Red Zone even before they could do anything because Seong Jihan escaped too quickly.


    Seong Jihan looked at the portal through which they were falling.


    ‘I should try going there once.’


    Rather than going to the end looking for the invisible wall, Seong Jihan, deciding to try challenging the portal, immediately used Divine Arts and jumped into the sky.


    The portal was considerably far from the ground, but thanks to his Martial Soul, he easily leaped through the space.


    “…Huh?”


    Beyond the portal, he saw an elf.


    [Trantor – Kshn]


    [Proofreader – Kshn]