CHAPTER 51……………………………………….
“Hello, everyone. Looks like all the guilds arrived on time except two. The July Guild and the Sandokkaebi Guild—unfortunately, we heard they were eliminated yesterday after fighting each other.”
“They should’ve just listened to us.”
Kay clapped at Shiri’s explanation and let out a sly giggle.
“The long-awaited main tournament will be one-on-one battles between guilds. The team that takes two out of three rounds wins, and only the winning guild gets to choose their battlefield!”
“But just fighting would be boring, right?”
The two of them spoke back and forth as if performing a play.
“That’s right. Last time was a free-form survival match, but this time each round has its own rules. So simply being strong doesn’t guarantee victory.”
“The matchups were made based on the average combat power of each guild member. One-sided fights aren’t fun.”
Kay waved the scroll in her hand—the one that presumably held the match list. Someone, annoyed by the teasing gesture, finally raised a hand to object.
“So if our skill level is low, we fight a weak team, and if it’s high, we fight a strong one? Isn’t that both unfair and inefficient?”
It was a fairly logical objection, and a few nearby guilds murmured in agreement. Kay nodded as if listening—then suddenly bared her teeth in a grotesque expression. The cute teddy bear turned into something that made Satan’s doll look tame.
“The world is unfair, you idiots! So why should we deal with all your little complaints?”
Her creaking, eerie laughter sent chills through the crowd.
“Ugh, I thought it was kind of cute, but now I’m scared it’ll show up in my nightmares.”
Even tough Ryu Jisoo seemed uncomfortable as she rubbed her goosebump-covered arm and shook her head.
“Kay, stop.”
When Shiri tapped Kay’s back, the monstrous body reverted into a cute teddy bear again. But once unsettled, the tension in the crowd did not fade easily—especially the man who had first complained, now grinding his teeth in humiliation.
“For any guild that gets eliminated, there will be a later chance to enter a losers’ revival match. So please don’t feel too upset. Matchups between guilds aren’t chosen by us—they’re determined by the system. Now, we’ll announce it on the count of three.”
This wasn’t a school sports day, so no one bothered counting along.
“One, two, three!”
Regardless, the two shouted cheerfully together, and the scroll in Kay’s hand unfurled with a swish. It expanded far larger than it had been rolled up, filling the air. That made it easy to spot our guild.
Chronos VS New Edison
New Edison… I knew the guild’s name, but couldn’t recall why.
“Now, Round 1 is treasure hunting.”
“It’s a simple, easy game—you just have to find the treasure before the other side! Please check your status window for details.”
[Guild War Main Tournament, Round 1: Treasure Hunt
Find the treasure hidden on the map.
It is impossible to thoroughly search the entire map in time, so each team will receive a blank map that reveals clues when flags are placed.]
I paused, puzzled.
‘If the map is blank, what good is it?’
The answer came immediately after.
[The blank map is divided into five regions. When a flag is placed in the flag stand located in a region, that section of the map is filled in. But since there is only one flag stand per region, the team that places a flag first gets the map information.]
‘So if we’re lucky, one flag might reveal the treasure’s location. If unlucky, we’ll need all five.’
I read carefully, trying not to miss anything.
[You may steal the completed map only after all 5 flags are placed. Until then, knocking out the enemy is forbidden. If a player is knocked out before the flags are all placed, the round pauses until they wake up. You may injure enemies or interfere with flag placement. The winner is decided when a treasure is found or when one team surrenders.]
Pretty complicated for something they called “easy.”
‘Still… seems like there are at least some safety measures.’
I read the surrender rules more closely.
[Surrender: You may surrender by verbally declaring it. Once accepted, victory immediately goes to the opponent.
Even after the map is complete, killing the opponent is strictly prohibited.]
The fact that surrender existed was a relief.
“If it seems dangerous, surrender immediately. Promise me your safety comes first.”
I said that to Ryu Jisoo and Kim Jun. Both nodded.
“In three seconds, markers will appear above the participants’ heads for Round 1.”
“3, 2, 1!”
Exactly three seconds later, markers popped up everywhere. I scanned our guild—and spotted one marker at the lowest height. The moment I recognized whose head it hovered above, a heavy stone dropped in my chest.
“Huh? This blue thing is the marker, right?”
The Round 1 participant was Kim Jun.
I quickly checked the screen showing the opponent. A man in a white lab coat, grinning ear to ear, had a marker floating above his head.
“Kang Kiho…”
The worst possible match. And suddenly I remembered why I knew the name New Edison—they weren’t famous as a guild, but they had two notoriously dangerous hunters who’d even had bounties on them mid-story. One of them was Kang Kiho.
This was why I hesitated to bring Kim Jun. Luck never lasts forever. Even if he expected to fight as part of joining us—I grew up in a world where minors should be protected. And worse, this opponent was especially bad news.
“Let’s forfeit. There are three rounds—losing one is fine.”
I knew it was a cowardly thing to say, but I had to say it. Even if surrender was possible, I didn’t want Kim Jun and Kang Kiho in the same space.
“Why? Hyung, then why did I even come? These days, even middle and high schoolers are treated as hunters if awakened. Don’t baby me just because I’m young.”
He wasn’t wrong. If I didn’t want him to fight, I shouldn’t have brought him at all. Telling him to back out now was insulting—even enough to earn a slap from any proud hunter.
“That guy is different. If the opponent were your age or even a normal hunter, I’d say go ahead. You could always surrender. But that man—he’s a sadist. His mentality is rotten.”
“You mean he likes torturing people?”
Kang Kiho, wearing that white coat, was a mad scientist—he stole monster and human corpses for experiments, and sometimes used the living if he had the chance.
‘And he fought dirty. Monsters would end up torn to shreds around him.’
No matter the safety rules, I couldn’t send a kid in against him.
“Jun trained hard too—you’re not even giving him a chance? Woojin, you must have a reason for participating. And honestly, combat in this round might be rare.”
Ryu Jisoo said something unexpected. As a sensible adult and a newbie hunter, I thought she’d back me up—but she surprised me.
“We can always surrender later.”
“If they cover his mouth, he can’t. Don’t try to understand maniacs.”
Kang Kwonhu, who’d been silently watching, finally spoke, eyeing me suspiciously.
“That hunter isn’t well-known outside, yet somehow you know him.”
“I hear rumors like anyone else. That’s not important right now.”
My tone was harsher than intended, but I had no room for pleasantries. Instead of arguing, Kwonhu beckoned Shiri over. Unlike Kay, Shiri was diligent—even if she clearly didn’t want to deal with us, she came.
“If someone from our guild participating this round becomes unable to declare surrender, can we declare it on their behalf?”
“Yes! But only if they truly cannot speak. Otherwise, it doesn’t count.”
“What counts as being unable to speak?”
“If their throat is injured, if their mouth is sealed so they can’t make any sound, or if they’ve fainted. Anything else is judged case-by-case.”
