Chapter 401: A One-Man Army (3)

“Yo, it’s started. Bro’s war.”

Michael Reynold prepared Red Bull and chicken to watch the live stream of the battle between Black Dragon and Kai on the Tinoum Plains.

“Korean chicken, always piping hot when you order it.”

As Michael took a big bite of the seasoned chicken, his eyes cheered for Kai.

I hope bro wins but...

Even Michael, who knew him fairly well, couldn’t say much about this battle.

“

Huh?

”

The first thing Kai summoned was the dullahan army. Up to that point, most players had expected it so they didn’t seem very surprised. However, a few players with sharp eyes like Michael noticed something was off.

Those dullahans... They look completely different from before.

He was sure of it. He had recorded and edited footage of the

Dungeon of the Absolute

himself, so he had seen enough dullahans to get sick of them.

Kai’s dullahans always wore armor when summoned.

Come to think of it, that was only natural since dullahans were knight-type monsters with separate heads and armor.

“But those ones are...”

The current dullahans were holding weapons in their hands. It wouldn’t have been anything new if that were all. Even in the Sanctuary of Corruption, the dullahans used Unique weapons. But what stood out now was that their gear was all uniform. Twenty-five of them held long and sharp black spears while the others carried sharp black swords. And that wasn’t all.

“

Whoa

, what’s that awesome armor?”

On top of the dullahans’ knight armor, they wore an extra layer of matte black full-body armor. Red lines crawled across the surface like living creatures.

“From a distance they kind of look like worms... What are those things?”

While Michael chewed on a drumstick in thought, Kai’s buffs wrapped around the dullahans. At the same time, the first clash broke out. The one who struck first in the historic battle was the dullahan at the very front. Its arm pulled back as far as it could and launched forward with a terrifying sound. In its hand was a spear.

“

Kugh!

”

The tip of the spear pierced directly into a Black Dragon guild member’s head, and that was the end of them. The nearby Black Dragon guild members were thrown into panic as their comrade vanished into polygons in an instant.

“W-what the...”

“One hit? Just one hit?”

“The guy who just got logged out was level 420...”

An officer quickly calmed the panicking guild members, “Don’t panic! They just overexerted at the start to seize the momentum. At the end of the day, they’re just A.I. at dullahan level! We’ve fought monsters stronger than that hundreds of times! Don’t be afraid!”

That shout definitely had an effect. The Black Dragon guild members who had frozen stiff began to loosen up, and life returned to their eyes.

But a far more brilliant light flared to life in the dullahans’ empty eye sockets. Each time a dullahan swung its arm, a Black Dragon guild member fell. Every time a spear pierced forward, heads and hearts burst apart. When swords were swung, enemy necks rolled across the ground. The Black Dragon guild members who faced the dullahans were helplessly forced to retreat.

“W-what kind of A.I. is this...!”

“These bastards aren’t just any dullahans!”

“They fight better than most players...

kugh!

”

Only fifty dullahans tore through tens of thousands of players like drills and ravaged them.

“Stay calm! Hold the enemy’s attacks at the front, and let the rear allies take the offensive!”

The officer’s quick tactical shift was a smart move. The tank line of the Black Dragon guild moved up and blocked the dullahans’ attacks, and in that gap, the rear players launched their attacks.

The hit dullahans were thrown backward, and long scratches began to appear on their gear. Then, the red lines crawling over the dullahans’ armor rushed to the damaged areas.

“What the...?”

Even one set of the collaboration between the Ebony Tower Lord and the dwarves was more expensive than a luxury sports car. It was the moment the prototype adaptive armor revealed its true value. The red lines gathered on the damaged spots moved swiftly and repaired the broken parts. At the same time, the dullahans’ lost health slowly began to recover. And that wasn’t all.

“C-calm down!”

“They just look flashy. The attacks definitely worked just now!”

“Die!”

They attacked the same way at the same spots, but the results were completely different this time.

“It’s not working...?”

“W-what is this?!”

The adaptive armor protected its wearer by learning from enemy attacks. Even the dullahans were learning-type summons that improved as they fought. The combination of the two created overwhelming synergy from the very beginning.

Of course, adaptive armor has its weaknesses too.

Since they were still prototypes, they could only remember three attack patterns. In other words, they could only increase defense against the three most recent types of attacks. However, calling it a flaw didn’t feel right. It was already more than enough.

“W-wait... The levels of these things are...!”

“S-six hundred?!”

“

Oh,

just noticed it now?”

A playful smile formed on Kai’s lips.

But realizing it now didn’t give them any kind of advantage.

Greater chaos is on the way if anything.

Once the enemies realized all the dullahans were level 600, they couldn’t bring themselves to step forward. Even with officers shouting, most of them backed away and they became nothing more than food for the dullahans. Then the sweet effect of Knight of Nightmare activated once again.

[

Knight of Nightmar

e]

Grade: Unique

+15 to all stats.

Skill – Summon Skeleton Knight (Cooldown: 24 hours).

The summoned skeleton knight scales with the caster’s level.

If the summoned undead kills an enemy, that enemy will become a skeleton and follow the caster.

Durability 100/100

When an undead under the caster’s command killed an enemy, the target would become a skeleton and follow the caster. Since dullahans were undead-type summons, the effect applied to them as well.

Clatter, clatter!

The fallen Black Dragon guild members turned into skeletons and drove their swords into the necks of those who had been allies just moments before.

“W-what the hell!”

“This is insane... if you die to a dullahan, you turn into a skeleton! Don’t die!”

“Like that’s easy to—

kugh!

”

An absolute scene of chaos broke out.

“They’re finished now.”

Then what was the right move to make at this moment?

I’ll stir it up even more. Until their very souls leave their bodies.

Kai summoned his summons and the Army of Light without hesitation. Mimic, Blizzard, Harley, and Desmond appeared on the Tinoum Plains.

“Master, did you call?”

“

Yeah.

It’s a war.”

—Seems like there are quite a lot of enemies...

—Humans here, humans there... Disgusting.

Even Harley and Desmond’s eyes widened at the sheer number, but only for a moment.

—Do we wipe them out?

“As many as possible.”

—Don’t blame me later for not leaving anyone alive.

—

Tsk

, disgusting humans they may be, but with a scent of blood like this... I can’t possibly hold back.

“We’ll be back, Master.”

Kai sent his battle-ready summons toward the enemy’s right flank.

The left and right flanks should be able to buy some time now.

Then it was a matter of how quickly he could break through the center. That would be the deciding factor in this battle.

“

Ugh

, what the hell are those things now?!”

“A d-dragon?!”

“What? There’s even a vampire...?!”

As the disoriented Black Dragon army struggled to regain focus, Kai slowly began to walk. His destination was the central force of the Black Dragon army, where Xao Lin was located.

“

Hmm...

”

Xao Lin let out a groan as he watched the situation unfold. He had thought overwhelming numbers would easily crush the opponent, but they were holding out far better than expected. He quickly assessed the situation.

The combat strength of the dullahan army is much higher than I expected.

Based on the intel he had gathered, the dullahans should have been wiped out in an instant. But against them, tens of thousands of his troops were being pushed back. Not hundreds, not thousands—tens of thousands.

Level 600... Could their level be linked to Kai’s?

It was a sudden thought, but he believed his guess was correct.

My mistake. I missed a detail like that.

But even so, the outcome wouldn’t change.

Xao Lin quickly raised his hand and ordered, “Send another 100,000 soldiers to where the dullahan army is.”

“Yes, sir!”

If the enemy wouldn’t die, he would just keep sending soldiers until they did.

“Send another 100,000 to where his summons are. Surround the dullahans and the summons so they can’t support Kai.”

“Orders received!”

As he watched the enemies quickly being isolated, he looked toward Kai who now stood alone.

“Now then, I’ve cut off your proud arms and legs.”

Thus, it was time to strike the body.

“I’ll give 10,000 gold to whoever brings me his head.”

“10,000 gold...!”

With a billion won placed on Kai’s head, the eyes of the guild members entering battle instantly changed.

I’ll show him what it feels like to fight twenty guilds at once.

Xao Lin felt a thrill as he looked down at the millions of soldiers moving beneath his feet.

Is this what the First Emperor of Qin felt like long ago?

He could command them all as he pleased with just a flick of his hand or a single word. That rush was a desire for conquest one could rarely experience in modern society.

“Kill him.”

At his command, the Black Dragon guild members charged toward Kai.

***

They sure do have lots on their side.

As time passed, the health of the dullahan army and his summons continued to drop, but Kai didn’t rush.

Keep the mind cold, and the heart even colder.

Kai remained composed so he would never panic no matter what unexpected events occurred. That composure proved to be an immense help.

“10,000 gold!”

“Kill him!”

“Even if he’s level 600, he’s still just one guy! Numbers always win!”

It was a fight of millions against one. That was the source of confidence that let the Black Dragon guild members stand so boldly. No matter where they looked, they saw nothing but allies. In short, they were completely intoxicated by the might of their own forces.

But that’s going to turn into poison.

Because confidence wasn’t something that came or went depending on one’s surroundings. Kai, who understood that better than anyone, showed greater confidence than anyone else on that massive battlefield.

“Whoever wants to die first, bring it on.”

The Holy Sword that appeared in his hand sparkled and poured out light.

“Radiant Sword.”

As if condensed from pure light, the sword easily slashed the approaching enemy. That was the end. A high-level player above level 400 was sliced in a single strike and disappeared. Even so, the Black Dragon guild’s attacks showed no signs of stopping.

“Beat him to death!”

“I don’t care if I die! Just let me land one hit!”

Battle cries rang out in all directions.

At the same time, a sword flew toward Kai. Kai raised his hand and blocked the blade.

“I-I stabbed him...” the first person to land a hit on Kai muttered in a dazed voice.

But it didn’t take long for confusion to overtake his face.

“W-what? I definitely stabbed him...”

“You did stab me.” Kai nodded and confirmed. “But do you even understand the level difference between you and I?”

No one would doubt the outcome of a fight between level 1 and level 200. Even if there were a million level 1 players, it would be the same. But when it came to a fight between level 400 and 600? That’s when people started to fool themselves.

A level 400 would have good gear and lots of skills.

And if we’ve got numbers too...?

No one can beat overwhelming numbers.

With the illusion that they could stand against someone over 200 levels higher.

“Sorry, but you’re wrong.”

Kai closed his palm and clenched his fist tightly. The enemy’s sword in his hand crumpled like a soda can.

“In this game, level and stats are law and power.”

The gazes of the Black Dragon guild members, who surrounded him on all sides, instinctively turned toward the number above Kai’s head.

300,199 / 300,200

The damage Kai took from a full-force strike of a level 400 swordsman was merely one point.