4.
The Changwon Guild’s Trouble-Maker Trio—Ahn Chang-yoon, Kim Gil-tae, and Lee Jung—were in grave danger.
“Aren’t you kidding me? We just climbed 100 meters in one go. Earthworm, that crazy bastard.”
“Are you scared?”
“Scared? You think I’m scared? Do you not know it’s because of you that we’re falling behind? Stop cracking jokes and just run!”
With Kim Gil-tae’s Iron Spear, they crushed other competitors. Lee Jung used his telekinetic power to fly through the air, covering the shortest distance. And with Ahn Chang-yoon’s Phase Shift, they used surprise attacks to regain the advantage when their numbers fell behind.
Their cooperation had great synergy. They made it all the way to the final six together.
[Ah, here we have the trio from Changwon Guild, who are trailing the farthest. Shall we take a look?]
But all the remaining participants were high-level C-Class Awakeners with a high conversion rate. The three who had risen through teamwork were naturally falling behind among the remaining survivors.
[If the Earthworm moves even a few meters, their elimination will be confirmed. How do you feel about that?]
The three who were sure to be eliminated glared at Joo Ah-young, who had calmly landed on a nearby rock, with genuine annoyance in their eyes. Unlike them, who had drained all their mana, used skills repeatedly, and squeezed every ounce of energy just to survive, Joo Ah-young looked like she was on a field trip, her mood lighthearted despite the situation.
[The Changwon Guild trio~ stop focusing solely on running and let’s do an interview with the lowest-ranked group for a moment!]
“Damn it, can’t you see we’re struggling here, almost dying?”
“Don’t touch me.”
“Go do your interview with someone else.”
[Are you trying to help? Oh, thank you~ I’m really moved by your earnestness, still doing the interview even when elimination is imminent!]
Kim Gil-tae, unable to contain himself, lifted his Iron Spear.
“Hey, you bastard, didn’t I tell you to stop?!”
Suddenly, Kim Gil-tae’s powerful spear was thrown in a fit of rage! The spear, flying like a shell, struck the ground where Joo Ah-young had landed, creating a deafening crash. Amid the shattered stone debris, Joo Ah-young landed lightly on a rock 10 meters to the side with an annoyingly cheery bounce.
[Oh no, how can you attack the host out of anger? No wonder you’re last.]
“Say something! Is that bastard insulting our Changwon Guild...?”
Just as Kim Gil-tae was about to team up with his companions, his eyes caught sight of the figures of the two others who had already moved far ahead.
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“Are these bastards just sucking the easy stuff and leaving me behind?!”
“You’re the one who threw away your Iron Spear, you idiot.”
“AAAAHHH!!!”
Kim Gil-tae, in his rage, smashed a wall with his fists, but the two had already disappeared.
[How do you feel about being betrayed by your teammates and left alone at the bottom?]
“I’m gonna kill all of you, you fucking bitches!!”
“Who does this bastard think he is to do interviews like this...?”
Unable to handle Joo Ah-young’s constant teasing, Kim Gil-tae lost his temper, pointing his finger at her and yelling, before losing his footing and falling.
[Player 93, Kim Gil-tae, has been eaten by the Earthworm and died.]
[Earthworm – 10 kills.]
[Remaining participants – 5.]
[Uh... there was a little incident. Shall we continue with the lowest rank interview?]
Having desperately tried to create some distance, Ahn Chang-yoon and Lee Jung moved forward. Both were still perfectly fine, and with smug expressions, they casually reached the area where Joo Ah-young had just landed.
They saw the calm, composed face of JumpingRabbit, who was now the “old hand” in the game.
And they understood Kim Gil-tae’s feelings as he had thrown that spear without hesitation. Kim Gil-tae had just been... a pioneer who recognized the truth before the others.
That evil woman deserved to die.
[Now, we’re down to the final 5 participants. Among you two, is there anyone who’s ready to sacrifice themselves for their teammates?]
[Ah~ it’s a bit odd when people don’t say much during the tournament. Well, someone’s going to be eliminated, so you can speak freely!]
[Excuse me~ can you hear me? Just because you try hard doesn’t mean it’ll work, just do the interview! Okay?]
[Hey, you’re not supposed to run like that.]
[Ah, idiot. Hee-hee.]
In this suffocating contest of pride, Joo Ah-young tried to get something out of the two participants while they were doing their best to avoid it.
Ahn Chang-yoon finally plopped down, exasperated.
“Fine, I’ll do the interview, just shut up already!”
[Eh~ this doesn’t seem interesting, so never mind. I’ll just interview the final four when they get to the semi-finals.]
Even though she said that, Joo Ah-young still smiled playfully as she landed.
[Before you’re eliminated, is there anything you want to say to your teammate?]
As Joo Ah-young extended the mic, Ahn Chang-yoon grabbed her arm fiercely.
“There’s nothing to say, you bastard. You’re finished now! Kim Gil-tae, I’m sorry I didn’t understand how you felt! I’ll kill this bitch, and then I’ll die with her!!”
With a determination to be eaten by the Earthworm along with Joo Ah-young, Ahn Chang-yoon clung tightly to her arm.
[Who’s going to die together? Hmph, whatever. I’m leaving now, so just die alone.]
With a sulky expression, Joo Ah-young took her signature "bunny hop" stance and then, as if mocking the low heights of her previous jumps, leapt an incredible 30 meters in one go.
“Ughhhh.”
While the user of the super jump received the system’s correction and was fine, Ahn Chang-yoon, who had no such correction, was face-pressed by the wind, falling in a humiliating fashion.
[No freeloaders allowed~ Never underestimate the Jumping Rabbit veteran!]
Ahn Chang-yoon, falling behind Joo Ah-young, was filled with humiliation and shame. Still, with a crooked grin, he headed for the cliff.
It was then that Joo Ah-young remembered his abilities.
[Could it be? No way, right?]
“Don’t underestimate an Awakener.”
With a twisted grin, Ahn Chang-yoon jumped off the cliff. The light flashed in his hand, and his Phase Shift ability took effect.
[Phase Shift]
By switching the positions of two targets, Ahn Chang-yoon and Joo Ah-young’s locations were swapped.
[AAAHHH!!!]
[The host, Joo Ah-young, was eaten by the Earthworm and died.]
[Earthworm – 11 kills.]
[Remaining participants – 5.]
An unprecedented broadcast accident occurred during the martial arts tournament as the host, Joo Ah-young, was killed.
Since no one was left to commentate on the event, the broadcast plunged into chaos. With the absence of a host, the system settings were automatically activated, and a spectator mode, which searches for objectives on its own, began to slowly ascend.
“How the hell do you go up from here?”
Ahn Chang-yoon, who had arrived at the place where Joo Ah-young had landed, found himself on a rock ledge more than 20 meters off the ground. Confused, he stared blankly into the air.
As he turned, he spotted Lee Jung, floating up between the cliffs with telekinesis.
“Hey? Hey! I’m down here! Can you get me out of here?”
Lee Jung glanced down at Ahn Chang-yoon, then flashed a sinister grin and gave a thumbs-down.
“Hey, you wanted to kill that bitch, didn’t you? Where are you going? Hey! You betrayer!”
Ignoring Ahn Chang-yoon’s desperate cries, Lee Jung turned his back and left. A notification appeared in the system, announcing Ahn Chang-yoon's death as the ground shook beneath him.
[Player 92, Ahn Chang-yoon, has been eaten by the Earthworm and died.]
[Earthworm – 12 kills.]
[Remaining participants – 4.]
With Ahn Chang-yoon's elimination, only four contestants remained in the tournament.
"Ha. Ahn Chang-yoon, that idiot, saved my life by doing the hard work. He didn’t know the world, taking the lead and ending up suffering. What a fool. This is why idiots like him can never make it. Hahaha!"
Lee Jung let out an evil laugh as he steadily ascended, the spectator view rising higher and higher.
"But seriously, why isn’t this over yet? Why’s that thing going up again?"
[Player 94, Lee Jung, has been eaten by the Earthworm and died.]
[Earthworm – 13 kills.]
[Remaining participants – 3.]
Lee Jung had overlooked one key fact. While the tournament’s map was managed by the host, Joo Ah-young, who had just been killed, there was no one left to reset the map for the semi-finals. Even with four survivors, the map for the tournament wouldn’t be changed back to the final round.
Good or bad, the legendary "Jumping Rabbit" map would remain until the end of the game.
Passing through various sections—the thousand-step segment, the cliff path, and the crumbling platforms—they reached higher ground, climbing up through the swirling snowstorm. The observer view slowly moved upward, far beyond the other contestants.
As they reached the highest point of the mountain, the view approached the final ridge, where the fierce winds and snowstorms clashed with a jet stream, blocking the way forward.
At last, the spectator view reached the Silent Sword Master, who stood, arms crossed, contemplating the final challenge ahead. The ascent finally stopped.
According to the Jumping Rabbit system, the current record of the top player was 400 floors, reaching an altitude of 4,000 meters. But the Silent Sword Master, uninterested in the tournament and more curious about the map, had already surpassed the record. She had reached 1,100 floors.
Without caring about the tournament, she climbed to an astonishing height of 11,000 meters.