World's Strongest Survivor-Chapter 62

The Big Picture.

Just as the sudden appearance of the Specter forced a lull in the fighting among players, chaos erupted again with Seowoon and his group's unexpected intervention.

Three players were killed before they could even react, shattering the fragile balance of power.

In front of them, a revived Wraith was closing in; to the side, hostile players lingered; and from behind, Seowoon's group had arrived. They were now surrounded.

That's when someone stepped forward, bellowing like thunder, and blocked Seowoon's path.

"You cowardly bastard with no sense of honor!"

The player who hurled a heavy-looking spear was someone Seowoon had seen before.

—Shwaaak! Thud!

The spear came flying toward Seowoon's chest, but he deflected it with a clean blow. It veered off course—and to his surprise, it boomeranged straight back into its owner's hand.

"Honor? Cowardice? Then what kind of 'honor' does someone know who launches ambushes at the entrance?"

Seowoon's retort left the man speechless. His face tightened, and he charged in.

As the man lunged and thrust his spear, Seowoon twisted his arm around it with ease and extended his Bloodbone Clan toward the man's throat.

Even seeing the Bloodbone Clan slither along his spear like a snake, the man charged forward without hesitation.

—Chakang!

A sharp metallic screech rang out as a thin scratch appeared on the armored collar protecting his neck.

—Thunk!

The man slammed his shoulder into Seowoon and used the momentum to spin and swing his spear again.

'Tough bastard.'

Even Bloodbone clan, which shredded most armor with ease, hadn't pierced his. This guy's gear was no ordinary equipment.

'Now that I think about it, he wasn't wearing that armor at the entrance.'

Back then, he wore a thicker, silver suit of armor. Whether it was confidence in his gear or his own skills, the man was attacking relentlessly.

Seowoon parried for a while, then subtly clenched his fingers into a fist.

—Tutuk!

A light punch landed squarely on the man's chest. His face twisted in pain.

The seemingly light strike, imbued with the essence of piercing force, bypassed his armor and defense skill to jab at his insides.

But he was still absurdly tough.

Normally, such a strike would cause instant hemorrhaging or death, but most of the internal damage was filtered through the man's defensive abilities.

—Whooong!

Enduring the internal sting with gritted teeth, the man widened his eyes and swung his spear again.

The enemy before him suddenly multiplied into several figures. Even the bravest knight would flinch.

—Pupupupuck!

Like a rushing gust, Seowoon's rapid strikes grazed him one after another.

If one hit wasn't enough—then keep hitting until they fall.

—Whoohoong!

Blood trickled from the man's lips as he gripped his spear with both hands and spun it like a propeller while retreating.

—Kakang!

A clone got caught in the spin and vanished, while two of Seowoon's punches were blocked by the rotating shaft.

"Kugh!"

He coughed up more blood, glaring at Seowoon with a pale face.

—Kang!

Meanwhile, the Specter struck the man's back as it passed by.

But no matter how many times the Specter attacked, the man never took his eyes off Seowoon. freewebnøvel.coɱ

He had absolute confidence that his armor would never be breached by a mere Specter's physical attacks.

But that kid's fists—those were different. Every 'light' tap rattled his insides, made his stomach churn, and left his chest tight and breathless.

Avoiding Seowoon's eyes for just a moment, the man searched for his allies.

Seowoon noticed instantly. He took a step forward, eyes locked on his target.

That's when the man flinched and tried to dash toward his comrades.

'Running now? After all that bravado? Like I'd let you go.'

His allies were tied up fighting the Specter.

Letting someone like him slip away—especially one in that kind of armor—would be a serious problem in a group fight later.

Unleashing  silent movement technique to its fullest, Seowoon multiplied into ten clones, cutting off the man's escape route and surrounding him.

The moment they all charged at once toward the spear-wielding man preparing to strike—a sudden change occurred.

—KUAAGH!

Seowoon's Bloodbone Clan shot up and yanked off the knight's helmet, dragging his exposed head down.

As he turned his gaze, he saw Kichan finally drive his sword into the Wraith's skull.

Still gripping the knight's forehead, Seowoon felt a chill pass through him.

'No way...'

—KWAJIK!

With Seowoon's hand locked around his head, the knight's skull exploded. Brain matter and blood sprayed in all directions.

Wiping blood from his cheek, Seowoon slowly looked up—his expression grim—as his eyes settled on the yellow gem embedded in the ceiling above the Wraith.

A deep crack spread through the gem with a harsh crunch, and an overwhelming force began to radiate from it.

'Don't tell me...'

The sudden upheaval drew not only Seowoon's attention but also that of the disoriented Specters and players alike, all eyes converging on the Wraith.

As the alien energy erupted and rained down on the Wraith, the most shocked of all was none other than Yeo Haoran, the one who had just driven his sword into the creature's skull.

Yanking his sword out in a hurry, Yeo Haoran leapt upward, aiming to shatter the gem—the Wraith's source of power—but before he could, every single Specter let out a shriek and surged toward the Wraith.

A radiant explosion of golden light burst from the Wraith's body. Yeo Haoran failed to destroy the gem, barely managing to retrieve his sword and fall back, yet his eyes never left the Wraith.

Peering through the blinding golden brilliance, he sharpened his focus—and saw the Wraith's form changing rapidly.

Now reborn, the creature wore dazzling golden armor and a flowing crimson cape, clutching both a staff and a sword in its hands. A shattered gemstone—one that had long been embedded in the ceiling—was drawn toward its new crown and embedded itself there with a flash.

"Kraaaaah! You foolish mortals! How dare you disturb my eternal slumber!"

The echoing voice sent chills down spines, and a few players within the cavern stared in stunned disbelief.

"Ku-Kutrapha has returned..."

"It's over..."

"HAAAH!"

Yeo Haoran roared, summoning his inner strength, his shout sweeping through the chamber like a gust of wind, rousing the stunned players.

"It's just another monster we have to take down! Don't be afraid!"

His battle cry snapped the players out of their stupor. They rallied together, their morale reignited.

Now only five members remained in Yeo Haoran's team. The team that had formed the earliest alliance had six left. Seowoon's team of six also stood apart, each group keeping a wary eye on the others while staring down the newly reborn Wraith.

"Didn't think there'd be a phase two," someone muttered.

"What does that even mean—'phase two'?" asked Saide, not taking his eyes off the Wraith.

Seowoon replied, his gaze locked on the creature, "In games, when a major boss takes severe damage or certain conditions are met, they often become stronger. That's what this is—it just entered a new phase."

Saide stared at the Wraith, whose overwhelming presence sent shivers through him. Then he said, "So this... this is your fault, huh?"

Seowoon answered calmly, "Rather than mine, it's probably fair to say it's our fault."

As the reborn Wraith stood there, having absorbed all the Specters in the cavern, Saide's accusation was gently brushed aside.

"Since Kutrapha's awakened... maybe it's time to retreat?" Dump suggested, clearly shaken. He was farthest from the Wraith and, for once, not acting as recklessly as usual.

It was unusual to hear such hesitation from someone as headstrong as Dump. Seowoon shook his head.

"It's too late for that now. That monster won't give us the chance to run. And..."

He trailed off, his eyes narrowing on Yeo Haoran's back as the man faced down the Wraith without taking a step back.

"If we don't kill it now, we may never get another chance. This is a mountain we have to climb."

"You shall sleep... with me!"

CRACK! BZZZZT!

As the Wraith bellowed, golden sparks arced from its staff, and a veil of lightning engulfed the area.

Trapped within the lightning field, Yeo Haoran and his remaining teammates raised every barrier they had to withstand the electric onslaught.

Even amid the storm, Yeo Haoran's skill was undeniable. He cut through the lightning with pure sword energy, slashing directly at the Wraith.

"We have to work together now!" he shouted.

Another team responded to his call and launched their attacks at the Wraith.

"Seowoon! Should we—"

Seowoon raised a hand, stopping Dump mid-sentence.

"Not yet. Don't draw its attention. Just observe its attack patterns."

KAANG!

Yeo Haoran grunted as he was forced back, his expression tightening.

He'd been able to block its attacks easily before, but now, each strike carried a terrifying weight—he could no longer meet them head-on so casually.

From the back lines, Seowoon watched without engaging, but a sudden chill ran down his spine.

"Master! Behind you!" Hammit's roar came even before Seowoon fully registered the sense of wrongness.

"Dodge!"

As he shouted, the Wraith—now hazy in the distance—vanished and reappeared right behind them.

It was teleportation, plain and simple.

Had they not been prepared, they would've been cleaved in an instant. Seowoon barely dodged the falling blade, the heat from it searing across his skin.

"You little rats... I won't let you escape!"

BOOM!

The Wraith bellowed and slammed its staff into the ground. Lightning erupted outward in all directions, electrocuting the scattering players.

'Damn! It's got more than one area attack!'

"Haah!"

With a shout, Seowoon struck the ground with a forceful blow, disrupting the flow of energy just in time to save his team from being wiped out.

Lyle, who had at least kept a barrier up, quickly gathered the team and began healing them. Meanwhile, Seowoon narrowly dodged another downward slash, rolling to the side.

THUD!

The blade struck the ground beside him, grazing his shoulder.

It barely touched him, but the burning pain that flared up felt like a scalding brand.

Even so, after confirming his team's safety, Seowoon glanced over his shoulder.

The sight of the other teams catching their breath and recovering from injuries was irritating.

Seowoon subtly began to retreat, luring the wraith toward the others.

Clang!

His fist aura shot forward and struck the wraith's skull. He could immediately feel its fury intensify.

Without looking back, he sprinted toward the area where one of the teams had ambushed them near the entrance.

There, mages were storing spells in their staves while knights and warriors gulped down potions and reformed their battle lines. When Seowoon came barreling in, their faces twisted in disgust.

"That bastard!"

"Didn't he say we should work together? Now he wants to play nice?!"

Grinding their teeth at Seowoon's shameless remark, the players had no choice but to deal with the approaching wraith.

If they foolishly let internal conflict break out here, it would be the end for all of them.

They were well aware that three other players—ones who hadn't shown themselves yet—were still hiding somewhere.

If they all went down now, they'd just be making things easier for those guys.

Reluctantly joining the fight, they ended up dealing with the wraith head-on, while Seowoon slipped away and rushed back to his teammates.

"Everyone okay?"

"Thanks to Lyle, we didn't have to burn the scrolls."

–We need to kill the bastards guarding the entrance while the wraith's distracted. That's the only way we can cover our backs. I'll go. Relay this to the others so they don't hear me. While fighting the wraith...

As Seowoon's team voice commended, Kichan gave a firm nod, his face hardened.

"Then listen to Kichan and regroup."

Finishing his orders, Seowoon teleported again, this time to the wraith now attacking Yeohaoran's team.

Crash!

"Aaaagh!"

The wraith's sword came crashing down on the shoulder of a heavily armored player.

As he screamed in agony, Yeohaoran slashed at the creature's golden armor.

The energy blade that burst from his sword left a deep gash, but the wraith didn't slow its rampage.

–The sin of disturbing my eternal rest shall not go unpunished!

Its swordplay had changed. It no longer followed predictable patterns. Now it moved with fluid, calculated strikes, making it difficult for Yeohaoran to close the distance.

Clang!

Seowoon deflected the wraith's blow with a shield he picked up from the ground and shouted,

"What are you doing?! Knights, get in there!"

The players grimaced at the command, especially since it came from the guy who had just dumped the wraith on them—and who was arguably the cause of this whole mess. But they couldn't afford to just fall back.

Three knights rushed forward, shields raised, and began absorbing the wraith's attacks, buying precious seconds.

In the meantime, a wounded knight was dragged out of range and began to recover.

"Haoran! We're out of scrolls!"

"We don't have any left either!"

Hearing those desperate cries from the rear, Seowoon smiled inwardly.

From now on, anyone who got hurt would just be dead weight.

As he continued absorbing light attacks, Seowoon shouted,

"Didn't you call yourself the greatest in the old world? Then show us what you've got!"

Yeohaoran's brow twitched.

Even in this world where everyone was his enemy, no one had ever dared speak to him so brazenly after recognizing who he was.

He was the only Transcendent Grandmaster among the late-stage players, and the sole heir to the Sagang Sect. Back in his world, there weren't many who could even dream of speaking down to him.

And yet, here was this lunatic throwing out taunts like it was nothing.

"You... I'll remember this."

With those words, Yeohaoran unleashed a flurry of strikes, his energy blades hammering the wraith.

Yeah, that's it. Use up everything you've got.

Seowoon cheered him on internally.

He wanted Yeohaoran to burn through all his strength.

Who would really get the last laugh? That remained to be seen.

As long as the balance doesn't break... there's a chance.

As long as they could maintain this delicate equilibrium—three teams barely holding the wraith at bay—then every bit of damage dealt could thin out the other players. If that happened, surviving this cavern and taking all the rewards for himself wouldn't just be a pipe dream.

[T/L: Read extra Chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : htts://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]