Chapter 35: (2): Season 1: Preparation


    Jong-won obtained the Lightning Warrior as a special ss. It was definitely superior to ordinary sses. Not only did it add additional damage with lightning effects to normal damage, but it also had the potential for stun effects. However, it couldnt be considered extremely powerful, just rtively betterpared to other sses.


    Whether it was because his skill level was low, he didnt have proper weapons, or because he was still in normal mode, it wasnt certain. Butpared to top-tier yers, Jong-won could only be described as slightly stronger rather than extremely powerful. He couldnt boast overwhelming strength like Hyun-seok. (Now that he had surpassed a strength stat of 100, he had much stronger damage than other yers. However, when he first obtained the special ss, he wasnt significantly stronger than other sses.)


    In other words, special or hidden sses didnt have any significant advantagespared to ordinary sses.


    Jong-won spoke, That guy is iming to be put in the tinum rank.


    tinum rank?


    Yeah.


    Who is he?


    I dont know either. He ims he can solo y a Twin-headed Orc


    Soloing Twin-headed Orc meant being an exceptional yer. Although Twin-headed Orc was an easy-mode monster, it was still considered an achievement-worthy monster within the easy mode. It was even a challenging achievement and awarded +10 points when it appeared as a boss monster. It was a formidable monster that could be stronger than trolls when adjusted for boss monster settings.


    But there are no specific criteria for the tinum rank, right? It was created for you, to be honest.


    Thats true.


    So, he wants to have a PvP match with you?


    PvP?


    Yeah. Actually, I was the first one to fight him and gotpletely crushed. It must have been reported in the media by now. Shall we watch the news?


    Jong-won chuckled.


    Lately, one of the popr trends among yers was PvP (yer versus yer) battles. It came about when the H/P (Health/Power) system was activated, eliminating the pain and physical effects based on damage within the battle arena. It became an unofficial rule that whoevers H/P dropped below 30% first would be the loser. The movement to formalize it as a sport was gaining momentum. (As a side note, the demand for support yers increased.)


    Hyun-seok smirked. Youre talking nonsense.


    But it wasnt entirely a joking matter. In fact, Hyun-seok is a symbolic yer within the Korean Union. He was somewhat different from being the second or third inmand. The current second inmand of the Korean Union was Jong-won himself. He was the yer with the highest strength stat, surpassing 100 officially. Jong-won could also solo y the Twin-headed Orc.


    I gotpletely crushed. Didnt evennd a single hit.


    Jong-won waspletely defeated in the PvP battle against the neer.


    As the second-inmand of the Korean Union, being defeated by the neer, spections arose that the neer could potentially be a tinum yer.


    Jong-won grumbled, Damn, our match-up didnt go well.


    Why did you fight? Youre asking for trouble.


    It was fun, you know. PvP can be quite entertaining. You can learn things and develop new skills for battles between individuals.


    People start thinking about other things once their survival is ensured.


    When the requirements for survival werent met, people focused solely on survival and didnt have other desires. However, when the requirements for survival were met, other desires emerged. They wanted to eat more delicious food and engage in more exciting activities. Thats what being human meant. In the beginning, yers focused solely on hunting monsters, but now that things were improving, a PvP culture among people was gradually taking shape.


    As they entered the normal mode, various conditions emerged that allowed the opening of the battle arena for support yers only when there were monsters nearby. As a result, a PvP culture emerged, and the value of support yers increased.


    Hyun-seok said, But what if a murder happens?


    As long as it stays limited to 30%, its not too dangerous. Unless someone like you sends them flying with a single blow, it rarely happens. Well, youre exceptional with your cheat-like powers. Moreover, to participate in PvP, you have to publicly disclose your typical impact value through a sandbag. Its a fight using skills and know-how while the impact value cant instantly take someones life. In fact, other than you, theres hardly anybat yer who can annihte H/P with a single blow. I think its much less dangerous than something like mixed martial arts or UFC. H/P is visible.


    Concerns and worries were growing, but if things continued in this direction, there was a high chance that PvP would be a culture.


    But why did you lose?


    He was too fast. Honestly, I felt like I could take him down with just one hit But I couldntnd that hit. It seemed like he awakened as a yer with professional athletic skills. And he focuses on agility He has a hidden ss I roughly understand his general abilities, but I couldnt confirm his special abilities.


    So, you got thoroughly beaten to the point of not being able to grasp his abilities?


    wellThats right.


    Jong-won chuckled. It seemed like losing in PvP didnt affect his self-esteem much.


    Arent you frustrated?


    Why should I be frustrated? Its an opportunity to learn. Besides, you think about different things when people are deemed worthy. It has be clear now. Im not suited for one-on-one battles. I should just focus on hunting monsters. My damage became significantly stronger after surpassing a strength stat of 100, but the penalties are outrageous. The system is so damn messed up. It penalizes you for simply increasing your strength. Damn it.


    Jong-won could be considered a dealer, one of the jobs that had be more specialized and diversifiedtely. Apart from the initial stages, he was heavily investing in strength stats and struggling to quickly reach a strength stat of 100.


    Although he had a suitable pattern for targetingrge and bulky monsters, it seemed difficult for him to deal with fast, agile, and small creatures. ording to Jong-won, if he increased only his strength stat, he faced significant penalties once it exceeded 100. One noticeable effect was that his movements became extremely slow.


    Hyun-seok spoke with a somewhat arrogant expression, Bnce is the most important thing for a person, after all.


    Shut up, you damn cheater. Thats possible for you. Youre like a master of stats.


    Is that apliment or an insult?


    Its half-insult and halfpliment!


    And a few dayster, news came that if the yer who defeated Jong-won didnt receive the tinum rank, he would transfer to the American Union under drastic conditions. The American Union was currently providing generous support and investment to attract talents, and the yer who defeated Jong-won seemed to fall into that category.


    Public opinion in Korea started to rise.


    Even if Jong-won is a slow yer focused on strength stats, its foolish to let go of a yer who defeated him.


    It would be better to grant him the tinum rank. After defeating Jong-won, doesnt he have the qualifications?


    If they let go of such talent, it proves the ipetence of the Korean Unions abilities.


    Jong-won scratched his head.


    Why is it causing such a bigmotion that I lost?


    Its natural. Regardless, you are one of the top in Korea.


    No, Im not meant for one-on-one battles. Think about it. PvP is a disadvantage for me.


    Thats not how the world works. The reasons arent important. What matters is that you lost to him.


    Hyun-seok immersed himself in his thoughts.


    Even if I learned boxing honestly, Im not that good at it.


    It was possible for someone like Jong-won to ur. Of course, Jong-won would never end up like that, and Hyun-seok never thought he would lose either. But in any case, there was always a chance for something unexpected to happen.


    However, will my abilities work in one-on-one battles?


    Of course, Hyun-seok was an all-stat yer. His agility stats were also remarkably high. However, he had never fought against humans. Although the trend was currently focused onrge monsters, there might be fast and agile monsters in the future.


    But if I make a mistake, I could end up getting killed.


    Listening to his words, it seemed like that neer was a speed-oriented disruptor-type yer. In that case, his HP pool would be low, and a wrong move could unintentionally lead to murder.


    I need some practice.


    Coincidentally, Jong-won had experience fighting against the yer in PvP, so he might have a rough idea of the yers abilities. Byparing their stats and estimating the approximate impact values, he could determine the suitable impact value.


    Hyun-seok said, Hey, Jong-won. Lets have a PvP match as a test.


    Jong-wons face, which used to be all smiles even after being utterly defeated, visibly turned pale.


    S-Seriously Why are you tormenting me? Dont dont torture me.