Emperor of Solo Play

Chapter 77 - Golem Upgrade (1)

1.

“Who's the one behind all of this?”

Hyrkan recited his words with the Mongmart Party behind his back. It was a terrifying sight. The Hahoe Mask made the other users recall the face of the Skeleton Warrior's face. He didn't feel like a normal living person.

Several people even stopped breathing. Since they were holding their breathe, it wasn't easy to talk.

Everyone stared at Hyrkan without saying anything. Those who caught Hyrkan's eyes quickly averted their head.

When there was no answers forthcoming, Hyrkan opened his mouth once again.

“Let's not drag this out. You guys were definitely trying to catch me. There should be a main culprit, who suggested this plan.”

As he spoke, Hyrkan stared at a single person.

The person who met Hyrkan's gaze frowned. Of course, this person didn't like the fact that he was under suspicion. When the user met Hyrkan's gaze, Hyrkan furrowed his brows and spoke in a sure manner. He spoke with a loud voice.

“Are you the mastermind? Have you perhaps met me in the past? Did you experience me severing your wrist?”

“It's not me.”

The user answered immediately.

Hyrkan asked the question once again.

“Then who is it?”

At that moment...

“Do we have an obligation to answer your questions? It isn't as if we did anything wrong. This is the Battlefield. The Battlefield.”

A user didn't like Hyrkan's domineering attitude, so he spoke in a combative manner. Hyrkan's gaze naturally landed on the person who spoke towards him.

As if the user didn't want to be overwhelmed by Hyrkan's spirit, he spoke in a much more forceful manner.

“If you don't like it, then let's fight! Even if you prattle on, there aren’t anyone here, who would listen to you. If we planned on talking to you, we wouldn't have attacked you in the first place.”

It was a provocation.

Let's fight!

In a sense, this was a reasonable response. Hyrkan's side was still at a numerical disadvantage. Hyrkan could summon his Skeleton Warriors, and there was the Mongmart Party. Overall, there were less than 20 of them.

Moreover, the 5 parties formed to catch Hyrkan still had more priests than Hyrkan's group.

It wasn't as if they hadn't done anything wrong, but they had enough ammunition to come up with an excuse. It was the excuse that trumped all excuses. This was the Battlefield.

In this situation, they didn't have to act like sinners in front of Hyrkan.

That was the truth.

“This is the Battlefield…….”

Hyrkan was well aware of this fact. He had shown himself since he was aware of this fact.

“I'm saying this, because this is the Battlefield.”

Hyrkan's words silenced them for a moment. They looked around their surrounding.

‘What is it?’

‘He said those words: ‘because we are in the Battlefield’? What is the meaning behind his words?’

There were almost no one in the 5 party alliance who thought that they would lose head to head with Hyrkan and the Mongmart Party. At the same time, no one here wanted to have a group fight in the first place.

It would be prudent to hear out Hyrkan first.

“I want to know if there is a mastermind behind this plot. Was this done because a person had a grudge against me? If so, I would like to settle my account. The Event Monster hasn't come out yet, and I don't want to waste my time doing PK especially when it doesn't give me any EXP. Shouldn't it be the same for you guys?”

‘Of course, these bastards came here to hunt. Everyone here knows the importance of time.’

This was Hyrkan's plan.

Truthfully, Hyrkan was angry at those who allied with each other to take him down. If he wanted to cut off all their wrists, he would be able to do it. Moreover, he had eliminated half their priests earlier on, so it wouldn't be too hard to kill them through attrition.

The problem was there was nothing to be gained by Hyrkan if he did that. He'll be able to take their watches, but it wasn't as if the watches always gave jackpot items.

There was a possibility Hyrkan might not be able to hunt at a decent pace in the 144 hours period. The loss he would take by spending most of the time PKing would be massive. He had been lucky enough to be able to gain entrance to the ultimate hunting ground. These users wouldn't give him any EXP, and he didn't want to waste most of his time fighting them.

The decisive factor was the Unique Skill Book that was up for grabs as reward. From Hyrkan's perspective, it would be more advantageous for him to walk the easier road. Nothing good would come from making this any more difficult than it had to be.

Hyrkan wasn't the only one who was thinking along the same line.

A lot of them had accepted the offer to kill Hyrkan because they wanted to boast on the SNS afterwards. However, there hearts were quite shaken right now.

‘Is he trying to call a truce?’

‘Yes. We'll be fighting each other anyways once the Blue Giant shows up. What's the point of fighting right now?’

‘Since it turned out like this, let's give up on the Event Monster. Let's just focus on leveling up. It would be much better than dying.’

Everyone was convinced.

Still, no one immediately agreed with Hyrkan. It wasn't as if there was not a mastermind behind this plan.

Cho-oohroong was the mastermind, and that truth wouldn't change.

All the users here wasn't able to point at Cho-oohroong to put all the blame on him. He would become the twisted hero, and it would have the side effect of deflecting the blame onto them. Anyways, Cho-oohroong had merely made the offer. They had made their own choices, so everyone here was culpable.

‘This is a mess.’

Of course, this was the worst case scenario for Cho-oohroong. Now Cho-oohroong would have to talk to Hyrkan. Then he would have to explain his reasons.

Of course, he didn't have to tell the truth. Cho-oohroong had no reasons to reveal his identity. He must not. If this incident was connected to Big Smile, then the situation would turn from a mess to the worst possible situation.

‘I have no choice.’

Cho-oohroong quickly finished his calculations.

‘Let's end this cleanly.’

Instead of backing slowly towards the edge of a cliff, he would rather jump off at his own volition. He would take care of what comes next afterwards. This was the best method.

Cho-oohroong yelled out.

“I'm the mastermind.”

At those words, Hyrkan turned to look at Cho-oohroong. Hyrkan slightly tilted his head in puzzlement.

‘Huh? It feels like I've seen him somewhere?’

It wasn't a familiar face, yet he had seen that face somewhere. It wasn't as if Cho-oohroong had a common appearance. He had a strong jaw and thick facial features. Even his eyebrows were thick. He had a face that would leave a lasting impression on someone. If Hyrkan felt like he had seen this man somewhere, then the possibility was high.

‘I guess it really was someone with a personal grudge against me?’

Hyrkan didn't suppress his growing curiosity.

“Do you have some grudge against me?”

“No way. This is the first time I've seen you.”

“Your reasons?”

“You are strong. If we hadn't joined up, we had no chance of taking you down. I didn't want to see a competitor flourish in front of me.”

It was a ridiculous reason, but Hyrkan had heard this line of reasoning quite often.

Hyrkan nodded his head. He could accept that reasoning.

“Since I started this, at the very least, I'll finish it. I request a 1on1 match.”

Before his words could finish, Cho-oohroong got into his fighting stance. He pointed his sword towards Hyrkan.

It caused a commotion in the surrounding.

‘Incredible.’

‘He wants a 1on1 match with the Hahoe Mask.’

No one here expected Cho-oohroong to suggest a 1on1 match. It was most definitely an unexpected turn of event. In some ways, it was also a sight that was quite heroic. In the end, he had stepped forward to take responsibility for his own action. It was an act that deserved applause instead of a pointing finger.

Moreover, this would be Cho-oohroong's last gambit at a winning move.

‘Since I will never be able to have a good relationship with the Hahoe Mask. It would be best to cleanly settle my account with him.’

He wasn't confident he could win against Hyrkan. Hyrkan was a monster. If he wanted to take down Hyrkan in a 1on1 battle, he would at the very least need to have advanced in his Class. However, it wasn't as if the chance of his victory was 0%.

Cho-oohroong wasn't weak. There wasn't that many in his level that could win against him.

‘I'll win. I'll use any method for this win.’

If he won, it would be a big deal. Cho-oohroong would eat all of the accolade that was associated with the Hahoe Mask. In a single battle, his name would be spread across the entirety of Warlord. He would be known as a Super Rookie. Moreover, he would receive great reward from both Heh-bibin and Apollo.

The potential gain made it worth gambling his life, which was worth 48 hrs of playing time. This one time gamble wasn't such a bad thing.

Hyrkan looked at Cho-oohroon, and he took out a single Skeleton Fragment from his pocket. Then he threw it in front of Cho-oohroong. The Skeleton Warrior immediately formed, and it stood between Hyrkan and Cho-oohroong.

He didn't speak.

He didn't make any gestures.

However, everyone could see Hyrkan had accepted Cho-oohroong's request.

Cho-oohroong got into his stance.

‘All right. I'll get rid of the Skeleton first.’

Hyrkan's Skeleton Warriors were nothing like the normal Skeleton Warriors. Everyone, who was knowledgeable about Hyrkan, knew this. This was why people were very curious as to how Hyrkan fostered his Skeleton Warriors. Numerous guilds and wealthy individuals had already made public requests towards Hyrkan. They wanted him to sell them his method of fostering these Skeleton Warriors.

It dodged quite well. The Skeleton Warrior was able to dodge normal blows quite easily. It fought better than an average user. If one attacked thoughtlessly, the Skeleton Warrior would find the user's opening. It would allow the Skeleton Warrior to counter-attack.

This was why sometimes the Skeleton Warriors acted as if they were weak.

‘When fighting against a counter type, the answer is to use the counter attack against them.’

Hyrkan's Skeleton Warriors were adept at dodging the enemy's attack, and counter-attacking afterwards.

On the other hand, if one didn't attack first, and fight a defensive battle, the Skeleton Warriors wouldn't be able to show their impressive battle capability. They were strong, but at the same time, they were simple.

Even if they were simple, it was still hard to overcome them. The Skeleton Warrior's biggest weakness was its defense. The Skeleton Warriors without Bone Armor would take considerable damage even without hitting it with a Skill attack. It's constitution was that weak.

From Cho-oohroong's perspective, he had no reason to attack in haste. Moreover, this was a very important battle. Instead of overextending himself, it was important for him to keep a level headed mind.

Cho-oohroong was on his guard as he looked for an opening to attack the Skeleton Warrior. Cho-oohroong was waiting for the Skeleton Warrior to attack him first.

‘Come. After I cut you up, I'll immediately charge the Hahoe Mask to close the distance between me and him.’

Hyrkan smirked as he looked at Cho-oohroong.

Hyrkan let out a laugh as he took a fistful of Skeleton Fragments out of his pocket. He threw it over Cho-oohroong's head, and the fragments landed behind Cho-oohroong's back.

‘Uh?’

Cho-oohroong's gaze unconsciously followed the Skeleton Fragments. He saw the Skeleton Fragments land on the floor.

“Fuck!”

Cho-oohroong unconsciously let out a curse as he turned his body. It wasn't just one Skeleton Warrior. Around ten Skeleton Warriors showed up behind his back. He would have to face them first. No, he didn't have the time to think about this. His body moved before he could think.

When Cho-oohroong turned around, he had basically left his unguarded back towards Hyrkan.

Hyrkan wouldn’t miss this opportunity. He would capitalize on it.

‘You are dead.’

Hyrkan immediately threw the Bone Explosives on his waist towards Cho-oohroong. He had thrown 5 Bone Explosives towards Cho-oohroong's feet. Each of them were worth 50 gold.

Kwahng!

It exploded immediately.

“Ooh-ahk!”

The force of the explosions was quite significant, and it sent shock wave into the surrounding.

The users near Cho-oohroong reflexively turned their head to the side or they raised their arm to their face. They tried to avoid or block the shockwave.

During all of this, Hyrkan threw his body between the explosions. Hyrkan's eyes saw through the dust and smoke caused by the explosion, and he found Cho-oohroong. Hyrkan quickly grabbed him.

Shweek!

Hyrkan stabbed his sword into the gap between Cho-oohroong's armor, and the opening in his helm.

Kwah-jeek!

The sword let out a gross sound as it was embedded into the back of Cho-oohroong's neck.

“Kook!”

A scream exploded out from Cho-oohrook's mouth.

Hyrkan didn't stop there. He put more strength into the sword that was embedded in the back of Cho-oohroong's neck. Cho-oohroong's body couldn't overcome Hyrkan's strength. He crumpled forward.

Chul-puh-duhk!

Cho-oohroong had fallen to the floor. Hyrkan immediately stepped hard on the small of his back. Hyrkan made it so that Cho-oohroong wouldn't be able to get up easily. Afterwards, he took out the sword embedded in Cho-oohroong's neck by a little bit, then he pressed down accurately once again.

Pook!

He kept stabbing.

Pook, pook!

It was a consecutive rhythmic sound that would be spat out by a machine.

The battle was already over. Cho-oohroong had taken significant damage and he wouldn't be able to receive help from others. There was no way he could overturn this situation.

“Shit!”

Cho-oohroong could only bitterly yell out as he lay on the floor. Hyrkan spoke to Cho-oohroong.

“Since you lost in terms of skill, you probably think the slate is wiped clean with me.”

Cho-oohroong bit his lips as if his inner thoughts had been revealed.

“However, I hate thinking that way.”

As he spoke, Hyrkan jabbed as if he was putting a period at the end of his words. The sword was being stabbed into the back of Cho-oohroong's neck.

“Did you think about showing me any special consideration? You only thought about how to screw me over. Do you think I'll give a bastard like that a clean defeat?”

Pook!

Hyrkan kept stabbing with his sword.

Cho-oohroong gritted his teeth.

"Did you lose your mind?”

There was no pain here. There was no way it would exist here. Worse had been done to him in this game.

However, he had never been this angry. His anger boiled within his chest. He was angrier than the time when Cho-oohroong was forcefully cut from the pro-gamer’s club without any compensation. Anger that he had never felt before started filling Cho-oohroong.

“You son of a…….”

Cho-oohrong spat out a curse.

Pook, pook!

Hyrkan stopped Cho-oohroong's words with the use of his sword.

“Huhk!”

The embedded sword dug once again into the back of Cho-oohroong's neck and the point pierced all the way through the neck. Hyrkan felt the point of his sword embed itself into the ground, and he left his last words.

“You are dead the next time I meet you. I will kill you. No matter what.”

The commotion in the surrounding was calming down at this point.

This allowed most of them to see the corpse of Cho-oohroong beneath Hyrkan's foot. The moment the battle had ended, everyone looked on in silence.

“Cho-oohroong!”

Someone loudly yelled out Cho-oohroong's name. It was a user in the same party as Cho-oohroong. However, it wasn't Cho-oohroong who reacted the moment he heard the shout. It was Hyrkan. His expression changed.

‘Ah.’

Hyrkan finally remembered.

‘Cho-oohroong…… Yes, he's in the Killer Smile team of the Big Smile guild. That's where I saw this bastard. So why is Big Smile aiming for me?’

Cho-oohroong wasn't able to earn anything this run.

2.

When Cho-oohroong died, a member of his party yelled towards Hyrkan.

“What a cowardly act!”

“Cho-oohroong asked for a fair and honorable fight!”

Hyrkan let out a laugh as if their words were ridiculous. Hyrkan shrugged his shoulder.

“I fought him 1on1 yet you call me cowardly? If I had been unlucky, wouldn’t I have fought a 38 vs 1 battle?”

Cho-oohroong's mate was about to raise their voice towards Hyrkan again, but they closed their mouth.

He wasn't wrong. He was a Necromancer, so it would be funny to complain about him using Skeleton Warriors, and Bone Explosives.

“This…….”

Their bodies shook from suppressing their anger. Hyrkan ignored Cho-oohroong's mates, and he looked at the rest of the users.

“This resolves the situation. I fought a 1on1 battle and the mastermind is dead. We'll start over once again.”

Unlike his earlier words, Hyrkan's words turned respectful.

“We'll start over again. I don't care whether you form another alliance. Let us focus on hunting monsters until the Event Monster comes out. Since this is the Battlefield, I won't require you to follow anything other stipulation.”

After finishing his words, Hyrkan took out the sword piercing Cho-oohroong's neck. Then he hacked at Cho-oohroong's left wrist with his sword.

Kah-ahng!

The sound of steel rang out.

“It seems he is wearing good gauntlets.”

Kah-ahng, kah-ahng!

Hyrkan struck as if he was using an axe. Numerous blows were aimed at Cho-oohroong's hand, which was equipped with a gauntlet. Soon the armor became deformed and the wrist was severed. Hyrkan kicked at the hand, then gathered the watch.

After he took the watch, Hyrkan spoke as he looked at his surrounding.

“All of you guys have fun.”

After saying those words, Hyrkan quickly left the location. The Skeleton Warriors hastily followed after him.

At that moment...

Koo-ohhhhhh!

The throng of monsters had gathered there after hearing the sound of the explosions.

The Battlefield was once again moving at a breathless pace.