Defense Map, ‘Lone Bridge’ First Wave.
The main force of monsters crossing the bridge consisted of Death Knights, just like before.
These Death Knights were such formidable monsters among the undead that they could even give the Diamond-ranked players a run for their money, let alone the Platinum ones.
But now, every time Seong Jihan’s Phoenix Flag made a move, they were swept away like fallen leaves in the wind.
– I told you, right? When Jihan swings, they’re all swept away.
– Ah… I hate being unable to refute this situation…??
– Who cares about the Death Knight or any strategy? He’s just sweeping them all away. Seriously, no analysis needed for this player.
Without the Heavenly Net Thunder Formation, he might not be able to single-handedly overpower them like last time.
Anyone who had some experience in BattleNet could have analyzed this.
However, what was the current situation?
Nameless Divine Art, Triad of Martial Mastery: Total Annihilation.
With a swift motion, as the Phoenix Flag slashes horizontally, the horde of Death Knights in front are engulfed in flames.
This was an entirely different level of power than what was shown with the Thunder Formation buff.
Having leveled up to the Gold league, his stats had seen an incredible boost compared to when he was in Silver.
Additionally, his attack style had also evolved from his time in Silver.
‘The power of the Thunder Seal is quite potent.’
The stat, Thunder Seal, that he gained from the promotion match.
This power, which enhances the strength of lightning, wasn’t just applied when using the Divine Thunder Decree, but also when simply swinging a weapon.
With the addition of extremely effective lightning against the undead, even the formidable Death Knights couldn’t withstand a single blow from Seong Jihan.
‘This is easy.’
He effortlessly cuts down the ground monsters and when he has the time, he even eliminates the airborne ghost troops.
Although he’s focused mainly on the ground, he can’t cover everything in the air.
From the back, the vigilant Bijang, who was watching with his arms crossed, took care of the ghosts coming from the other side of the cliff.
“Hm…! He may not be as good as Jo Woong, but he does have some skills!”
Bijang grumbled with a dissatisfied face.
He had hoped that Jihan would struggle and plead for help.
But Jihan was too good in combat.
“Is this why he’s recognized by the Imperial family as the master of the divine beast…”
Murmuring to himself, Bijang looked across the bridge.
The horde of Death Knights were nearly annihilated by Seong Jihan, signaling the end of the first wave of the invasion.
However,
From afar, there was the sound of galloping.
Cavalry in black armor was lined up, with banners fluttering in the wind, depicting a black bird with its wings spread out.
The Black Spear Cavalry approached the bridge with an intimidating aura.
They marked the beginning of the second wave: the march of the Black Spear Cavalry of the Phoenix Corps.
“It seems Hojo has arrived… You! Step back!”
Bijang rose to his feet.
No matter how powerful a guest from the Imperial family might be, they can’t be expected to face off against Hojo, the leader of the Phoenix Corps.
But,
“It’s alright, Guardian.”
“What do you mean alright? You’re up against Hojo!”
“Why would I use a knife meant for killing a cow on a chicken?”
“What, what…?!”
“I can handle someone like Hojo.”
Upon hearing this, Bijang involuntarily squared his shoulders.
Am I the knife meant for a cow? And Hojo is the chicken?
“Hm. Be that as it may. Hojo isn’t an opponent to be taken lightly.”
Bijang’s tone became gentler.
“He’s one of the five great generals of the Wind Empire. Even if you’re recognized by the Imperial family as the master of the divine beast, it won’t be easy.”
Seong Jihan nodded slightly in agreement.
‘That’s not wrong.’
The leader of the Phoenix Corps, Hojo.
The giant named Bijang was an incredibly strong mid-level boss.
Even though he was from the giant tribe, his skill in wielding a huge blade as if it were a light sword was unmatched.
Thus, even in the Diamond League of the game, the task of facing Hojo was always left to Bijang.
Many teams rashly challenged Hojo only to have over half of their party members swept away by his great sword, leading to the end of the game.
“But I don’t think I’d lose in my current state.”
In the Silver rank, he wouldn’t have dared to fight against Hojo.
But after advancing to the Gold rank, he felt significantly stronger.
Even if he couldn’t overpower Hojo, he was confident he could survive his blade.
‘To earn Bijang’s approval, it’s worth trying once.’
Seong Jihan, determined to attempt various strategies to complete the epic quest, said, “It’s rare for a Supreme Commander to lead the battlefield, right? Leave it to me.”
“Hmm… How can I treat a guest of the Imperial family like an underling?”
“The Imperial Gatekeeper is definitely someone who can.”
“Indeed! Haha!”
Bijang chuckled, touching the tip of his nose.
Having a guest from the Imperial family acknowledge him like this eased some of his past resentments.
“Still, it won’t be easy. Alright… Take this!”
Swoosh!
A grand spear from behind Bijang flew up into the air and flickered white before releasing a bolt of lightning in front of Seong Jihan.
In response, a spear, shimmering with lightning, appeared before him.
“What is this…?”
“I’ve imparted some of the power of the Thunder to you. Absorb it into your spear.”
This is just a part of it?
Seong Jihan stared at the lightning-imbued spear in front of him.
The spear’s power seemed comparable to that of the Phoenix Flag, an SS-grade weapon.
‘If this is just a part, the main body of the ThunderCloud Spear is definitely SSS-grade. I must obtain it by any means necessary.’
Seong Jihan thought as he approached the Phoenix Flag to the lightning spear.
As he did, the Phoenix Flag began to fuse with the spear, releasing sparks and white light.
It seemed the combined powers of Flame and Thunder in the Phoenix Flag couldn’t fully integrate.
But as the lightning touched Seong Jihan’s right hand:
[The Thundercloud Spear reacts with your Thunder Seal.]
The sparks started to subside.
The Thunder resonated with the crown-shaped Thunder Seal engraved on Seong Jihan’s right hand.
[The power of the Lightning amplifies, and the Thunder recognizes the player as its master.]
[Thunder Seal increases by 2.]
“Oh. It increased my stats…!”
The Thunder, after raising Seong Jihan’s Thunder Seal stat by 2, settled peacefully into the Phoenix Flag.
“Seeing the Thunder so docile, you truly are worthy to be its master!”
As Seong Jihan easily controlled the Thunder, Bijang opened his mouth in admiration.
At the same time,
[You have gained Bijang’s recognition.]
A notification appeared, indicating that the first condition of the epic quest was met.
* * * * *
Seong Jihan slightly widened his eyes looking at the message window.
Receiving recognition already?
It’s so different from the last time.
‘I’ve gained a lot thanks to the Phoenix Flag.’
Perhaps it was due to the Phoenix shape of the Phoenix Flag.
Initially mistaking Seong Jihan for an Imperial guest, Bijang now recognized him.
‘Now, all I need to do is save him.’
Considering how much Bijang judged people by their appearance, Seong Jihan thought it would be harder to earn his recognition than saving him.
This felt like a significant step towards completing the epic quest.
However, things didn’t unfold smoothly.
“What on earth…!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From across the bridge,
A giant hurriedly approached.
It was Hojo, the leader of the Phoenix Corps, dressed in black armor.
He was visibly excited, distorting his already contorted face even more.
“Phoenix, Phoenix! The Phoenix is here!”
Is it because he’s the master of the Phoenix Corps?
Hojo was extremely excited to see the Phoenix.
“Who is the owner of the Phoenix! Ah! Is it you?!”
Hojo, who was looking around from the bridge for the Phoenix’s master, widened his eyes when he saw Seong Jihan blocking his path.
“Ah, no, not you. You there! What is your name!”
He again widened his eyes at the sight of Seong Jihan blocking his path.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Come to the Wind Empire! If you bring the Phoenix as it is, I will hand over my position as the leader of the Phoenix Corps! I will become the vice leader and serve you!”
Hojo, looking at the blessing of the Phoenix soaring in the sky, shouted, spitting out his words.
He was desperately eager to secure the Phoenix.
– I’ve never seen Hojo act like this before. Why is he so excited?
– Lol, wasn’t he a calm character? ??????
– What’s going to happen now?
– I don’t know lol. It has long derailed from the original defense game plot.
The game had taken a completely different turn from the usual ‘Lone Bridge’ scenario, and even the long-time viewers on BattleNet couldn’t predict the next move.
This was also the case for Seong Jihan.
‘This is the first time someone has tried to persuade me like this.’
With just one Phoenix Flag, he couldn’t even guess how far the butterfly effect would spread.
He was curious about how the game would change if he accepted that proposal, but
‘Still, I should complete the epic quest first.’
Seong Jihan decided to first secure the Thundercloud Spear.
“What if I refuse?”
“Then… be subdued quietly!”
Swoosh!
Hojo, as if anticipating the answer, quickly drew his blade and slashed down at Seong Jihan.
Indeed, it was a mid-level boss-worthy strike that could challenge even the Diamond rank players.
Pressed by the wind pressure to the point where he couldn’t even move, Seong Jihan felt
‘What’s happening?’
It was surprising from Seong Jihan’s perspective, who was on the receiving end of the attack.
It was weak.
Hojo’s movement was much slower than what he had experienced before.
‘Did he hold back?’
Perhaps he was adjusting his strength because he had to subdue, not kill.
If that’s the case, it would only be right to give him a piece of his own medicine.
Whizz!
Seong Jihan easily dodged the strike and channeled energy into his Phoenix Flag.
The power of the Thunder and the Phoenix Flag combined, sending a white flame-infused spearhead towards Hojo.
Nameless Divine Arts, Divine Thunder Decree – Striking Thunderbolt
Zzzzzap!
Perhaps due to the added power of Thunder, the Striking Thunderbolt was cast faster than usual.
Hojo, not typical of a giant, tried to avoid it with agile movement, but.
Screech!
“Ugh, aghh……!”
He couldn’t beat the speed of the lightning.
Unable to fully evade the attack, Hojo was hit on his left arm by the Striking Thunderbolt.
In an instant, his arm was engulfed in flames and turned to ash.
A look of shock was evident in Hojo’s eyes.
“How… how do you have such power…”
“Rather, why are you so weak?”
Seong Jihan tilted his head as if he wanted to ask that.
It wasn’t like Hojo was a weak character.
Wasn’t he the giant race that went head-to-head with Bijang?
He never imagined that one Striking Thunderbolt would turn his arm to ash.
‘He wasn’t holding back out of mercy.’
Seong Jihan, who was proud of his judgment skills from living as a Ranker, could roughly guess the power difference between himself and Hojo based on his past experiences.
So, he decided to fight Hojo, thinking he could withstand him.
But to lose an arm with just one blow?
The viewers watching this scene went wild.
Especially the viewers in Seong Jihan’s fan club, The First, were all fired up.
– OMG! The First, please accept new members! From now on, I’ll blindly support Seong Jihan!
– Blindly? Nah, this is the most rational place.
– What exactly did he do…? It seems he got a buff from Bijang again, but how much…?
– Didn’t you about ‘Limits’? Lol. Stop analyzing and just trust and follow
– That’s the thing. Lol. As a result of blindly following Jihan, I’m moving to Gangnam ^^
“You…!”
Meanwhile, Hojo’s face turned red with rage.
Being called weak by such a puny human was the utmost humiliation.
The arm that turned to ash regenerated in an instant.
“I won’t show any mercy!”
Hojo roared fiercely and lunged at Seong Jihan.
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