World's Strongest Survivor-Chapter 57

Squad Three. Sword Emperor.

Seowoon dashed forward, tearing through thorny vines.

His tattered robe was already reduced to rags, covered in scratches and punctures, and the number of small wounds on his body had increased.

But he couldn't afford to stop.

Ka-kak! Shoo!

The moment he let his guard down, an arrow would whistle through the air like a ghost.

Blood seeped from a red line left behind where an arrow grazed his thigh.

He couldn't just sit and take it.

The moment he loosed a bolt with practiced ease, he felt the enemy's startled breathing.

The distance between them was probably no more than fifty meters.

He only had one bolt left.

They couldn't see each other through the dense thorns, but their developed hearing allowed them to catch even each other's faintest breaths — it was that close.

At this range, with both firing bolts at each other, they were forced to keep moving constantly.

Trying to react while standing still was practically asking to be hit.

Seowoon furrowed his brow and quickly retreated.

"Kair Barrier."

Slower than normal, but that damn arrow carried a sinister aura.

Sure enough, it came crawling stubbornly through the air before exploding right in front of him.

He pushed away from the thorny undergrowth and fell backward; sharp pain surged as thorns tore his robe and stabbed into his back. Still, Seowoon crossed his arms in front of him and braced against the blast.

BOOM!

A piercing beeeep rang through his ears as he was flung violently into the thorns, but he rolled and sprang back to his feet.

As expected, two more bolts shot toward the spot where he'd fallen.

Not even bothering to retrieve the ones stuck in the ground, he dashed forward and nocked an arrow to his bow.

"This is it."

The bastard had skills Seowoon didn't. Arrows that exploded, arrows that cut with slicing wind, arrows that launched targets backward with impact.

And then, the wild arrows — ones that curved unpredictably from absurd angles.

But in this cursed forest, those wild-trajectory arrows were useless against him.

What remained was the enemy's arrow imbued with an unknown force.

Whenever he fired that arrow, the bastard wouldn't shoot another like it for a while.

So Seowoon charged.

"Plus, he just rapid-fired two bolts."

A shadow shifted in the distance beyond the vines.

Seowoon flinched, almost loosing his arrow — but held back just in time.

"Not yet."

He had to wait for the perfect moment.

A moment where the enemy couldn't possibly dodge. When he'd strike and end it all in a single breath.

Shreeeeek!

Instead of a bolt, a long arrow flew toward him, almost as if warning him to stay away.

But Seowoon, with his sharpened eyesight and constant close-range bolt-sniping, saw it coming like it was in slow motion.

He tilted his head slightly, easily dodging it — and the rapid follow-up shots as well.

"Twenty meters left."

His forward speed outpaced the enemy's retreat.

Just as Seowoon's eyes gleamed with certainty—

BOOOOOM!

"Hyung! There's a strong one here! Be careful. They're no pushover!"

A massive boom echoed — and Kichan's team voice came through.

At the same time, Seowoon and the enemy were standing nearly face-to-face, bows aimed at each other in close quarters.

It seemed the enemy had also heard something through comms; a flicker of conflict crossed his face.

The vines still obscured each other's legs and faces, but for about five seconds, they stood locked in aim.

"You've really changed. You were strong before... but now you're a completely different person. Facing me head-on with a bow like this."

Though their faces were hidden, they both knew exactly who the other was.

"I practiced a lot. Wanted to drive a bolt right into that forehead of yours."

"I thought I'd mastered something rare. Never imagined you'd learn the same technique. It was supposed to be the secret weapon of a fallen nation."

"Bolt-firing? I am the descendant of that fallen nation. We're naturally good with bows — it's practically a racial trait."

"I see. That explains why your coin value seemed oddly low."

As the enemy finished speaking, he released the bowstring.

At the exact same moment, Seowoon did too.

The arrows clashed mid-air and veered wildly off course.

"This is as far as it goes."

The enemy could sense a powerful presence drawing closer.

Seowoon nodded slightly but didn't let him leave without a final warning.

"Next time we meet, I won't let you go like this. Not until I plant a bolt right in your forehead."

He couldn't see his face, but Seowoon felt like the bastard was smiling.

They turned their backs and moved away from each other.

– Where are you?! Are you okay?

– Hyung! Just fall back! Get as far away from this place as—

BOOOM!

Kichan's team voice cut out just as the ground trembled not far away.

And Seowoon, sprinting in that direction, looked strikingly like the madman he'd just been fighting.

Leaning his body forward, Seowoon thrust his face out so far it nearly passed the enemy, his arms hanging limply at his sides.

Thorny vines continuously brushed against his face, leaving fine cuts, but he didn't seem to care at all. His gaze was fixed on one spot.

"Lyle! Run for now!"

"No!"

— Kang! Jjaeng-geurang!

Lyle gritted his teeth and moved forward just as his sleek silver longsword came crashing down, only to shatter the iron barrier in a single blow.

The thorny vines that had densely surrounded them were now broken and strewn across the ground, as if testifying to the fierce battle that had just taken place.

Where there had been a thicket only moments ago, now stood Kichan and Lyle on an open field, facing off against a knight clad in black armor wielding a longsword.

Unlike the other knights clad in bulky armor, this one wore a slim, compact set, giving off a slender impression. His round helmet completely obscured his face as he watched the two silently, his sword lowered at his side.

'Hyung... please, don't come here.'

Ignoring Seowoon's constant worried inquiries over the team voice chat, Kichan focused entirely on the enemy in front of him.

Lyle, stubborn to a fault, was a lost cause—but at the very least, he had to buy Seowoon time to escape.

He couldn't let the aggro shift to Seowoon, who was already battling a formidable enemy.

Kichan took a small glass vial from subspace.

The knight didn't move, simply watching his every move.

Kichan downed the potion.

His pupils dilated, and he felt the circle at his heart pulse.

His heartbeat quickened, and his thoughts accelerated.

Every nerve in his body came alive, and his sensitivity to magic heightened.

An Awakening Potion—like caffeine for mages.

Lightning magic, Kichan's specialty, crackled on his staff while a fireball formed in his other hand. That was when the knight moved.

— Tat-tat!

Like he had instantly hit top speed, the knight charged toward Kichan and swung his sword.

— Kadeuk! Pajjijik!

Kichan hastily raised his staff to block, sparks trailing down the knight's armor—but the knight didn't seem fazed at all. He smashed through the staff and sent Kichan flying.

As he tumbled to the ground, Kichan flung the fireball at the knight. At the same time, Lyle activated his shield beside him. Kichan closed his eyes.

'This is it.'

The enemy was too strong. Of all opponents... he never imagined encountering a Sword Emperor in a game like this.

— Kkakang!

At the sound of sharp metal, Kichan opened his eyes.

— Cheol-keodeuk!

A man burst into his vision—robe torn to shreds, face scratched all over—and for some reason, seeing him brought a strange sense of relief.

In the heightened, hypersensitive state brought on by the Awakening Potion, Kichan realized he was genuinely relieved. And he smiled.

"Seriously... I told you to run far away."

"You guys didn't listen to me either."

They had met many people while playing the Cloyd Survival Game. Gone through many teammates. But was there ever someone who inspired this level of trust?

A man who made you want to run toward him through fire and storm if he was in danger. A man you would give your life to protect.

Someone you could lean on, rely on—someone who gave hope instead of disappointment.

Kichan gripped his broken wrist along with the shattered staff and pushed himself up.

Beside him, Lyle was diligently casting healing spells to mend the broken wrist.

Seowoon, eyes still fixed on the enemy, asked:

"What is that? That knight seems very different from the ones I know."

"Sword Emperor. Most likely."

'Sword Emperor? Like some kind of Sword Master?'

— Sword Emperor. The term refers to those who have reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Knights typically begin with light armor and intense training, eventually upgrading to heavy iron armor as they mature, able to protect their allies more effectively. Once they reach a certain level, they return to lighter armor—achieving a mastery where one sword alone is enough to defend comrades. That knight... is the one who stands at the end of that path.—

It all sounded unnecessarily complicated, but Kichan didn't argue with Hamit, who had taken the trouble to explain.

Just a single clash had been enough to drive the truth deep into his bones—the thing staring up at him from the ground was powerful beyond measure.

A surprise attack that would've ended a normal opponent.

But the knight had merely twisted his body and rotated his blade to avoid a fatal wound.

As the knight rose and pointed his sword at Kichan, an overwhelming force pressed down on him.

It was the same pressure he'd felt when facing that maniac berserker.

But from the knight emanated a bizarre energy—neither magic nor aura—something alien.

— Fwoosh!

Flames engulfed the knight's blade, blurring his figure behind shimmering heat waves.

"Hoo..."

Seowoon exhaled deeply and crossed his arms into the strange stance of the Blood-Bone Style. The knight charged at that exact moment.

— Fwhoosh!

A straightforward slash—too honest to be anything else. But within that honesty was crushing power.

You could tell it was the product of tens, hundreds, thousands of repetitions etched into muscle memory.

That's why it couldn't simply be blocked or dodged.

Seowoon barely twisted his body to avoid it, brow furrowing as he did.

Even from a successful dodge, the heat of the flames made his entire body feel like it was burning.

Gathering his internal energy, he focused it to his fingertips, but the knight naturally rotated his blade for a sideways slash.

"Don't you know the laws of physics?"

Even though he had swung the sword down with all his might using both hands, the way he instantly changed its trajectory and came slashing again felt unsettling.

At the same time, Seowoon stepped back.

Since learning fist technique and facing enemies, he couldn't recall a time he had ever retreated in close combat like this.

— Crack!

Gritting his teeth, he swung his sword and kicked at the approaching enemy.

— Clang!

When the knight blocked his sword barehanded, he flinched—showing the first hint of emotional reaction.

— Ka-ka-kang! Kkang! Kang!

In the unrelenting exchange that followed, Seowoon's focus steadily sharpened.

With each sword strike flying toward his body, a single mistake meant certain death.

— Shwaaah!

Meanwhile, Kichan, having finished his recovery, fired an Ice Snake at the knight.

Seeing the enemy's sword ignited with flames, Kichan and Lyle decided to support Seowoon by using only ice-based magic.

— Slice!

The knight effortlessly cleaved the massive Ice Snake charging at him and seamlessly continued his assault on Seowoon.

As the Ice Snake's decapitated body collapsed, its icy chill washed over the two of them.

But the cold was quickly transformed into hot steam and dispersed.

Through the momentary veil of frost and vapor, a crimson blade painted the air like a lightsaber, and they saw Seowoon holding it off with just his two hands.

"Damn it!"

Kichan couldn't bear how pathetic he felt.

All that training in the mountains, and even helping Seowoon in the real world—he had deluded himself into thinking it was a win-win relationship where he was also of use.

The thought filled him with shame.

His clenched fist trembled with growing anger toward himself.

"What the hell have I even been doing?"

It wasn't like Seowoon had hoarded all the items either.

In fact, he had generously handed over many of them.

"Then why is there still such a huge gap?"

Even when facing a seemingly unbeatable foe, Seowoon charged in without hesitation, like someone with no fear. And in doing so, he overcame and grew stronger.

Kichan, on the other hand, always thought of escaping first when a powerful enemy appeared.

And of course, that was logical.

This was a survival game, after all.

There was no rule saying the strongest always survived. As long as you stayed alive, the world would eventually reward you and make you stronger.

That survival instinct had become second nature to him after repeating such games over and over.

"So why is the gap between us only getting wider...?" freewebnoveℓ.com

Mana began to surge toward Kichan's clenched fist.

Noticing Kichan's turbulent emotions, Lyle looked on with concern. Kichan then opened his mouth.

"Soon, there'll be a gap between them. That's the moment. We'll pour in everything we've got and hit him all at once."

He spoke as if throwing his own resolve into the wind, and Lyle nodded, his chubby cheeks jiggling slightly.

— Kkang!

Just as he was starting to get used to the knight's sword, Seowoon stepped in half a pace closer.

"Half a step forward."

Just that much, and he'd move past the sword's reach—into his own range.

At that moment, a sword came from the side with the clear intent of knocking him back.

Harnessing the principle of counterforce, Seowoon absorbed the blade's power into his bones and muscles, weakening its force—and finally, caught it barehanded.

— Slam!

The surprised knight tried to pull the sword back, but Seowoon wouldn't let go easily.

Gripping it tightly, Seowoon stepped in half a pace more, forcing the knight to retreat and retrieve his sword.

Blood sprayed from Seowoon's hand that had grasped the blade. The cloth wrapping it was slightly torn, exposing the skin underneath.

"I lost the sword, but I'm not giving up the distance!"

"Now!"

Behind the retreating knight, a Fire Burst and Earth Strike were simultaneously cast.

Struck in the back by a rising stone pillar and the explosive force of Fire Burst, the knight couldn't retreat further and staggered—just as Seowoon's next attack came flying in.

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