Chapter 53 – Survival Ground (1)
Survival Ground
A game where 100 players are dropped onto a single map, forced to fight each other as the playable zone shrinks—until only one is left standing.
This was the very game Dojun had originally planned to use for his comeback stream. Everyone just called it “SurGround” for short.
“Wait, is it just the two of us playing?”
SurGround allowed up to four players in a team. Matches were typically played solo, in duos, or in full squads of four.
“Nope, of course I invited guests. One of them is Airi, the miracle idol from last time. The other one is…”
Ding-dong~
“Hey hey, I’m here.”
“Right on time. Phantom, you probably know this one—‘Red.’”
“Wait, Red!?”
Red. The top SurGround streamer on SwitchTV. Some even called him the “President of SurGround.”
And now, VirtueKing and Red were streaming together.
Two legends joining forces sent the viewership skyrocketing past 100,000 in an instant.
Damn, how did VK pull this off today?
This collab is already epic!!
Red almost never does collabs unless it’s with RedFam, how’d you get him?
VirtueKing + Red + Airi? Take my money.
┗ Why no Phantom?
┗┗ C’mon, he’s not at that level yet lol
┗┗┗ True. Not quite there… yet.
With chat going wild, VirtueKing took a moment to settle things down.
“Okay, so today’s collab with Red? It’s thanks to someone who gave us a mission.”
“A mission?” Dojun asked, curious.
VirtueKing nodded. “Yeah, it’s from ‘Breath of the Dagger,’ one of Phantom’s biggest supporters. They put this whole squad together—me, Phantom, and Red.”
“Huh? Then what about me?” Airi asked, realizing her name wasn’t mentioned.
“You? You’re just here for filler. We needed a fourth, and you were free.”
“Excuse me!? I’m a very busy person, okay!!”
Airi’s flustered reaction sent the chat into hysterics.
Airi just got called filler lol
Only free member of Miracle Idol
To be fair, she’s the best SurGround player in the group
How much money did this sponsor put down for this squad?
“They’re offering 3 million won if we win three matches. Each. No way I was turning that down,” Red explained bluntly.
“Three mil!?” Airi gasped. “ChuKing oppa, I am free after all.”
“There we go. At least be grateful you got picked.”
“Yes, sir!!”
The banter between VirtueKing and Airi had the viewers rolling with laughter.
“You guys know how to play SurGround, right?” Red asked, casually.
“I’m not bad,” VirtueKing replied.
“I’m probably the best in the group,” Airi added confidently.
“I’ve never played,” Dojun admitted.
Everyone turned to look at Phantom.
“…What? You’ve never played at all?”
“Nope. Just made my account.”
Red double-checked Dojun’s play history in disbelief.
“…Wow. 0 hours, level 1. You’re a total newbie.”
SurKid—a mix of “SurGround” and “kid,” meaning a total beginner.
Wow, legit noob
Never seen a cleaner slate
Meanwhile, I’m a crusty veteran
FYI: Phantom’s first game ever was Lost Land
And he made a billion from it lol
Okay, maybe the guy’s just built different
Red looked genuinely concerned.
“This mission might be tougher than I thought. Is there a time limit?”
“Yeah, 6 hours,” VirtueKing replied.
“…Oof. That’s rough. Should we just give up?”
★★ ‘Breath of the Dagger’ has donated 10,000 won ★★
[Reward raised to 500,000 won per win. But you’ve only got 5 hours.]
Red immediately changed his tune at the sight of that donation.
“Give up? No way. At 500K per win, we’re going all in. Don’t try to stop me—I’m in full dictator mode today. Obey orders.”
VirtueKing chimed in. “Alright, let’s get started. Phantom, log in. We’re not ending this stream until we get three wins!”
“On my way in.”
Dojun hopped into the training mode to quickly get used to the controls.
‘Okay. I think I’ve got the basics.’
It wasn’t completely unfamiliar—he’d seen plenty of gameplay videos before.
Once he wrapped up his short practice session, he joined the party.
“Starting now,” Red announced, and they were instantly matched into a game.
The group found themselves inside the in-game plane.
“Open your map. See the yellow ping I marked? That’s where we’re going.”
Everyone nodded at Red’s command.
It wasn’t a major hot drop, but still a contested area. Getting down fast would be key.
“Phantom, you know how to use your parachute?”
“I practiced a bit in the training zone.”
“Okay. I’ll just pretend we’re playing with one less person.”
Phantom’s the throwaway teammate lol
Might as well let him land late and draw aggro
Honestly, him dying isn’t even a loss
As they neared the drop point, Dojun watched the others.
‘I’ll just follow Red’s lead.’
Reading the room was also a skill. Red’s gaze suddenly sharpened.
Dojun knew instantly—
‘He’s jumping now.’
Red dove, and Dojun followed at the exact same moment.
Whoooosh!
The wind roared in his ears as they plummeted.
Dojun mimicked Red’s every move—angle, posture, hand positioning, everything.
Thanks to that, his drop speed matched Red’s almost perfectly.
Wait… Phantom’s actually doing pretty well?
Eh, falling’s easy. Let’s see him land right.
True. The parachute timing’s what matters.
Red, meanwhile, was quietly impressed.
‘Huh. This guy’s got decent instincts.’
He could tell that Dojun was copying him—exactly.
But copying wasn’t always easy. Dojun had some natural sense for it.
Still, parachuting wasn’t everything. The real game started after landing.
As they neared the ground, Red adjusted his angle for max speed. Dojun copied him exactly.
Parachutes deployed. Their destination came into view.
“There’s another team following us,” Airi reported.
Red quickly assessed the situation.
“Land on the rooftop and grab weapons. If you’re late, head straight to the first floor.”
He deployed his chute and scanned the rooftop.
‘Gotta land where there’s a gun.’
Landing quickly meant nothing if you had no weapon.
Red saw a rifle and dropped straight for it, cutting his chute early to grab it fast.
He glanced to the side—Dojun had landed too.
But there was no gun where Dojun landed. Just… a knife.
Red frowned slightly.
‘Still a rookie. Should’ve picked a better spot.’
He saw an enemy dropping just behind Dojun.
‘I’ll handle them—’
But just as the enemy landed—
Thud! They crumpled to the ground mid-air.
≪ [Phantom] knocked down [RedSniper] with a knife. ≫
??? What just happened??
Did I see that right??
Phantom’s signature move already?! lol
Most viewers had no idea what they’d just witnessed.
But longtime Phantom fans had a pretty good guess.
Red was stunned too—but he’d seen it clearly.
‘He threw that knife right into their head. A clean headshot.’
Even Red couldn’t pull that off easily.
Throwing a blade with that kind of accuracy, from that distance, while falling—was nearly impossible.
Every variable had to be perfect: angle, distance, timing, power.
‘Was that luck? Or skill?’
Either way, Red shook it off. The match had only just begun.
≪ [Red] knocked down [FPEMWJRUR] with M416. ≫
≪ [Red] knocked down [QJCBFJQM] with M416. ≫
In quick succession, Red dropped two more enemies.
“One more landed on the first floor. Don’t push yet—loot and locate first.”
Dojun followed Red’s orders.
‘First, I need a real weapon.’
With his knife thrown, he was now unarmed.
He moved down a floor, scanning for gear.
He found a few guns—but one item stood out.
‘A crossbow.’
A weapon he’d used often in his past life, back when he was still learning the ropes as an assassin.
Dojun picked it up, along with a flashbang he found nearby.
At that moment—
Step. Step. Step.
Footsteps echoed from below.
“They’re right below me,” Dojun reported.
“Okay. Airi and VK push from outside. Phantom and I’ll flank from above,” Red commanded.
Everyone moved in sync.
Dojun pinpointed the enemy’s location.
“They’re holed up in a room—not moving.”
“Alright, full push. Throw your flash before entry.”
Dojun cracked open the door, lobbed the flashbang in perfectly, and Red charged in to finish the enemy.
≪ [Red] eliminated [Eggstra] with M416. ≫
≪ Red – 3 kills | Phantom – 1 kill ≫
Solid start!
Not bad for Phantom’s first match
Probably just luck lol, he’ll crash soon
┗ You clearly don’t know Phantom, do you?
┗┗ Never doubt the Knife King lol
With the first squad wiped clean, Red nodded.
“Phantom, you’ve got a good sense for this. Really smooth for a first timer.”
“Thanks.”
“No wonder you won a billion on your first game,” VirtueKing added with a laugh.
But the real game was just getting started.
“Zone’s pretty far,” Airi said, checking the safe area.
Red frowned. “We’ll need to loot fast.”
“Farming”—their term for collecting gear and supplies—was crucial.
“VK and I are the main damage dealers, so I’ll lead. VK, you back me up. Airi, keep track of kill logs and enemy locations. Phantom, your role’s similar to Airi’s.”
“Understood.”
They were just about to resume looting when—
“Hey Phantom~” Airi called out.
“…Yeah?”
“Did you know armor in SurGround has levels?”
“Levels?”
“Yeah. Did you pick up a helmet, vest, or backpack yet?”
“I’ve got a vest and a backpack.”
“Check the levels—they should be listed.”
He looked again.
Vest: Level 2
Backpack: Level 2
“Got it.”
“Max level is 3. Higher level means better defense for armor and more storage for backpacks.”
“Ahh. Thanks for the tip.”
“Oh, we’re not done yet. Did you know there’s a Level 4 backpack?”
“Level 4?”
“Pfft.”
Red and VK, overhearing this, both started laughing.
They knew where this was going.
“Phantom, you only carry the essentials—healing and throwables. Nothing else.”
“…Why?”
Airi grinned, a mischievous glint in her eye (not visible on screen, but definitely felt).
“Because you are our Level 4 backpack.”
And just like that, on his very first match, Dojun became the team’s mule.
