As Seong walked ahead, the rest of the team followed, not fully understanding what was happening.
Before long, they reached the duel arena.
At first, Seong had been a little confused by the path, but the directions were clear enough, and he soon found his way.
When they arrived at the arena, Longfeng looked at the others to confirm they were in the right place.
Now that they were somewhat back to their senses, the others shook their heads.
A rookie who dragged them to the duel arena for an initiation?
They’d never heard of such a thing.
Even Luna’s usually reckless team hadn’t gone that far.
They might be aggressive at times, but they’d never politely lead someone to a duel arena for a so-called initiation. This was the first time they had ever seen anything like this.
Had they really been brought here for a duel?
Is this how initiations were done?
Longfeng, Hwa-Wol, and Elzahar exchanged confused glances.
It wasn’t like they could back out now.
Seong had politely invited them, but wasn’t this essentially a duel request?
If they backed out now, it would only make them look afraid.
But if they’d come all this way, what was the deal?
What the hell is going on?
Hmm, what’s the situation here?
This is some bullshit...
While their thoughts were jumbled,
Seong’s thoughts remained clear.
I was told not to hold back if they start trouble.
Honestly, he didn’t fully understand the whole initiation thing.
But if he was going to raid solo, he needed to show he had the strength to do so.
And the best way to demonstrate that was through a direct clash, wasn’t it?
That’s why he had brought them to the duel arena.
Seong was prepared to take on the initiation without hesitation.
He thought this was what they meant by not holding back.
Though that wasn’t really the case, was it?
Perhaps it was for the best?
A duel arena’s the perfect place to show off without getting personal.
It was a reasonable enough approach, but seeing the others so puzzled made Seong wonder if something had gone wrong.
But it was too late now; they were already here.
As Seong loosened up his body, the others reacted.
What do we do now?
Hmm, I guess you should go first?
You’re the weakest after all.
Reluctantly, Longfeng stepped forward, guided by the looks from Elzahar and Hwa-Wol.
Before he could confirm anything, Seong spoke up without hesitation.
“So, since I’m raiding alone, we’ll all fight at once, right?”
“...Huh???”
“...?”
“???”
“Wait, I didn’t mean it like that!”
Luna, in a panic, tried to explain, but her words didn’t seem to reach the others.
Seong’s misunderstanding was only made worse by his comment.
“Oh, so it’s the three of you, then?”
It was like throwing gasoline on a fire.
And naturally, that triggered them.
Luna tried to explain, but it was already too late.
The damage had been done.
“No, that’s not—”
“Hm! Hm! Team Leader, it’s fine. It’s fine. If we don’t take care of this, aren’t we the seniors here?”
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“Hmm, this is really making me angry~”
“...”
Longfeng cut Luna off, and even Elzahar, who was usually calm, now had a fierce look in her eyes.
Hwa-Wol, always brash, could only respond briefly.
Their anger was at a boiling point.
Luna realized that she couldn’t stop them anymore and quickly tried to contact Rapid.
But there was no reply.
With her head pounding, she realized there was nothing more she could do.
While she fumbled with her phone, the group had already entered the duel arena.
The match-up was clear: Longfeng, Elzahar, and Hwa-Wol were on one team, while Seong stood alone.
“Ahhh, what now?!”
Luna found herself in the stands, where some of the spectators recognized the team members.
It was no surprise, considering how famous they were.
“Hey, isn’t that the Luna team from Rapid Guild?”
“Wait, really!? Longfeng, Elzahar, and Hwa-Wol are there too!?”
“Luna’s not with them, but the others are!”
“But their opponent is just one person?! This is ridiculous!!!”
The crowd murmured in disbelief at the idea of Seong facing off against the famous trio.
Someone in the crowd muttered,
“Wait, isn’t that the new recruit from Rapid Guild?”
“A rookie? Oh, the Demon King?”
“What?! A fight between the Demon King and the Luna team 3?! This is going to be good!!!”
“Even if he’s the Demon King, can a rookie really fight and win against Luna’s trio?”
“Isn’t this supposed to be some sort of initiation?”
“Either way, this is going to be interesting!!!”
Excited voices filled the arena as the spectators buzzed.
Luna, trying to avoid being recognized, pulled her robe lower and nearly started crying as she watched.
Her big eyes were on the verge of tears, but she prayed that Rapid would finally respond.
She was worried about what might happen if word got out about Rapid Guild.
But Rapid remained silent.
Luna couldn’t understand why they hadn’t replied.
Frustrated, she accepted the situation, though she had no hope of stopping it now.
Ugh, even if it’s the Demon King, taking on all three of them will be impossible.
Even Luna, the strongest of Rapid Guild’s new recruits, wasn’t confident.
In a one-on-one fight, she could win, but with two, victory wasn’t guaranteed.
And three? It would be an automatic loss.
Seong might hold his own for a while,
But still...
Even though he’s supposed to be able to raid solo... can he really beat all three of them?
Luna had seen Seong’s video.
It was impressive.
The undead he controlled were unique, and their power was formidable.
But that was about it.
To Longfeng, Hwa-Wol, and Elzahar, Seong’s undead were just an annoyance, a group of monsters.
It wouldn’t be a big deal for them.
Seong had likely grown since the video, but could he really take on the three of them?
Luna worried that Seong’s confidence would break, but she had brought this on herself.
Ugh, maybe I should have delayed the solo raid for later.
If only Rapid had responded sooner, maybe things would have been different.
Luna kept watching the situation unfold with regret.
She wondered how to comfort Seong afterward.
It was already clear that the trio would win.
Just as Luna had expected,
The trio was also thinking the same.
This cocky rookie is going to face us all at once? Wait, he even thought he could take on Luna too?
Such an arrogant rookie~ He’s going to be punished~~
...I’ll kill him.
The trio was furious, not just for themselves, but for Luna’s inclusion in Seong’s challenge.
They all looked at each other with a shared sense of indignation.
Cooperating with each other was unpleasant, but for now, they were unified in purpose.
As the trio agreed, Seong thought briefly.
Let’s test him first with the Legion Commander.
This would be a perfect opportunity to test how far his undead army could go against the trio.
He would see how the commander’s leadership and buffs would affect them.
Though Seong didn’t fully know their strength, he estimated it to be similar to Kim Che-geon’s level.
With both a mage and an archer on the team,
Seong’s eyes glowed with a turquoise light, fueled by the memories and experiences of various ghosts.
Seong recalled the memories and experiences of various ghosts to strategize.
“...?”
“Hmm?”
“Hmm.”
Suddenly, Seong’s eyes began to glow, and the trio flinched.
The atmosphere shifted.
It wasn’t the usual game-like vibe—it was something more instinctive.
All three of them were sensitive to these kinds of changes.
They could immediately tell that Seong’s presence had drastically changed.
What was it?
What’s this? It doesn’t feel like a typical player.
Hmm? Is it like encountering a strong NPC...?
...Tch.
It felt more like an NPC than a player.
It was as if he belonged to this world, like one of its residents.
It was a feeling they had sometimes gotten from the high-ranking members of Rapid Guild from afar.
But this was far stronger.
They had known Seong was no pushover from the start.
However, the sudden shift in his presence made all three of them feel uneasy.
Was this what it meant to be on a different level?
They all prepared themselves.
The duel arena system prompt popped up in the air.
[3]
...
[2]
...
[1]
...
...
[0]
As the final countdown began, time seemed to slow down for the three of them.
They had focused harder than ever, making the seconds feel like they stretched on.
Longfeng and Hwa-Wol, whose awareness had sharply increased, moved to close the distance, while Elzahar remained still, almost as if rooted to the spot.
The first to activate a skill was Elzahar, who had remained motionless.
Chwarr...
Clink! Clink!
Vooooooom—!
The sound of multiple chains moving and the clanging of solid iron gates closing echoed through the arena.
It seemed like a binding-type spell.
But the target of the spell wasn’t anyone else—it was Elzahar herself.
Chains of ice rose from the ground and shackled her limbs, while a massive ice prison descended from the air and enclosed her.
Elzahar was completely bound, but a monstrous amount of mana surged from her.
Fwoooosh—!
The more she was bound, the more her mana and magical power grew—this was a characteristic of Elzahar’s class.
Seong watched in fascination, his eyes wide.
He didn’t know much about the other two’s classes yet.
Longfeng looked like a thief, and Hwa-Wol seemed to be an archer.
However, he couldn’t understand why an archer like Hwa-Wol would want to close the distance.
There must be a reason.
Seong opened the Netherworld.
Shhhhh—!
A turquoise aura spread out, and a portal appeared in the air.
Several turquoise portals opened, and through them, the Death Legion Commander, Baron Barfur, and twenty of the No-Ghul Legion leapt out.
All of them looked like ghouls, devoid of intelligence.
But...
At the wave of the Legion Commander, Baron Barfur, a spark of intellect ignited in their eyes, and their turquoise auras flared.
Dedicate victory to the master! Engage them with full force! Do not mind the mage in the back!
At Baron Barfur’s command, the No-Ghul ghouls rushed forward faster than any speed the trio had seen.
Longfeng and Hwa-Wol, who had been closing the distance, swung their weapons at the first ghouls charging at them without hesitation.
Longfeng, appearing to be a thief, gripped his daggers and swiftly swung them through the air.
All his attacks missed their mark on the No-Ghul ghouls.
But after five failed strikes,
A bluish aura filled Longfeng’s two daggers, and a sharp sword light slashed through the air in an X-shape, slicing through the surrounding ghouls.
Clink—!
Five of the No-Ghul ghouls fell at once.
Was he intentionally failing his attacks to build up stacks and strengthen his next move?
Interesting.
Seong’s eyes gleamed as he watched.
It was a fascinating class.
And Longfeng wasn’t the only one being attacked.
The No-Ghul ghouls charging toward Hwa-Wol, the archer, had expected her to be weak up close.
But they were wrong.
Normally, archery weapons lose their power when used in close combat.
But Hwa-Wol’s bow was different.
Shiiiing—!
Thwip!
After closing the distance, Hwa-Wol drew the bowstring to its limit and fired an arrow.
The ghouls that had gotten too close exploded into pieces in an instant.
A total of seven ghouls were destroyed.
That was two more than Longfeng’s five.
But what was strange was that, with such explosive power, the arrow should’ve pierced through and destroyed more ghouls, yet it was as if the arrow had exploded like a shotgun, leaving no trace of penetration.
Was she a close-range archer?
Both of them are interesting.
But even more fascinating was Elzahar, still bound in place.
Using the increased mana and magical power granted by her bindings, she cast a wide-reaching spell.
A beam of icy cold, as if condensed from a blizzard, shot out and swept through the No-Ghul ghouls in an instant.
And as if she still had power left, Elzahar tried to strike at Seong.
But...
BAM—!
Baron Barfur’s massive arm blocked her spell, causing the magic to unravel.
With most of the No-Ghul ghouls gone, Seong nodded and used the Death Legion again.
The twenty original No-Ghul ghouls were now doubled in number, and as he opened the Netherworld once more, another wave of No-Ghul ghouls emerged.
This time, there were sixty in total.
But that wasn’t all.
Another twenty Skeleton Mercenaries jumped out as well.
Seong’s forces had increased to eighty.
The absurd number of troops made Hwa-Wol mutter,
“This game is so messed up.”
It was high praise.