Chapter 221: Episode 221_Lion Hunt

[Blood Lion]

[Resistance]

The matchup for the fifth Faction War appeared on the screen. The Blood Lion Faction had a whopping thirty-three faction points. If they won this battle, they were a strong candidate to reclaim the number one spot. The Resistance, conversely, was a lower-ranked faction in eleventh place. A loss here meant automatic disqualification.

Seonghwi studied the mission details, deliberating. ’Should I buy a member reset? Or a swap like last time? But the rookie might not come back.’

If he was lucky enough to get his elite members, they might have a chance, but the mission itself wasn’t about dungeons. Most of the Resistance members were skilled in dungeon management, which meant they were weak in missions like this. Across the arena, Kanghyuk wore a satisfied expression; as a player more skilled in combat, this was his element. Seonghwi looked out at the darkened arena and made his decision.

“The members for this Faction War are… these individuals!” Duke Nikunbel announced.

Spotlights shone on both sides, illuminating eight members from each faction. It was a cooperative mission, likely focused on party play.

Narae, sitting beside Seonghwi, sighed as she saw the selections. “Except for three of them, they’re all inexperienced. And I got picked again. What am I supposed to do?”

“The only good thing is that you, Seonghwi, and Hyunjun are in,” Seunghun said. “We’ll have to figure out the rest somehow.”

“If we lose, we’re finished!” Narae shot back. “We’ll be annihilated!”

The elite members participating were Narae, Seonghwi, and Hyunjun, but the rest were all novices. Without a proper leader, their coordination was bound to be a mess.

Seunghun let out a low groan as he saw Narae’s eyes turning red. ’At this rate, we’ll be wiped out before we can even attempt to conquer the Demon Realm. When are you going to show up, Taehyun Yoo?’

His gaze drifted to the arena entrance, but Taehyun was still nowhere to be seen. With the absence of that one person weighing heavily on them, the fifth Faction War began.

—

[Unconscious state has been recovered from.]

He had escaped the long maze. The confusion he’d felt while facing the Yuda Raid Party had likely stemmed from his memories of Earth. But now, everything was clear. He had been clinging to his past, but he decided to put it aside for now.

’It’ll probably be resolved once I go back. For now, I’ll focus on getting out of here.’

His dungeon was about to become S-rank. After all the time he had invested, giving up now would be foolish. Taehyun opened his eyes and checked his senses.

’My body seems fine. How much time has passed?’

He vaguely remembered collapsing while blocking the Spear of Longinus. Seeing the Faction War message floating before him, Taehyun shot up from the bed.

“Ungh… Master,” Mederia mumbled.

“…Master,” Laviz echoed.

The two women who had been sleeping soundly at his side rubbed their eyes and woke up. It was Laviz and Mederia. Seeing that Taehyun was conscious, they immediately threw themselves into his arms.

“Master, we were so worried!” Mederia cried.

“Master!” Laviz sobbed.

They couldn’t stop crying, a testament to their worry. However, Taehyun had no intention of joining this touching scene.

“Move, you two. I’m about to be annihilated!”

“Ah! M-Master!”

“Master?!”

The Faction War was the urgent matter. Taehyun hurriedly threw on his clothes and teleported to the arena.

—

At that moment, the Resistance was in a dire situation.

An arrow sliced through the air—a warning shot from the scout who had already occupied the hallway. Fortunately, no one was hit, but they needed to break through.

“Dammit. We were a step too late. They’ve already captured the central flag.”

“…They’re going to hold the center and buy time. What about the other corridors?”

“Same story. They’re holding their positions and blocking the paths. At this rate, we’ll lose without capturing a single flag.”

The mission was taking place in the Philia Temple. The objective was to capture flags in various areas and hold them until the timer ran out. Their plan had been to take the central flag first, but the enemy’s response had been incredibly fast.

[Mission Time: 39:41]

Twenty minutes had already passed. Unless they captured at least one flag, victory was impossible.

[Flag Area A: Captured (Blood Lion)]

[Flag Area B: Uncaptured]

[Flag Area C: Uncaptured]

[Flag Area D: Uncaptured]

[Flag Area E: Captured (Blood Lion)]

[Flag Area F: Uncaptured]

There were six flag areas in the temple. The Blood Lion Faction had already secured the two in the center, forcing the Resistance to aim for the others. However, the Blood Lions holding the center weren’t letting them get close.

Seonghwi re-examined the temple layout. ’The center connects to two other capture points. We can get to Flags D and F through the side paths, but that limits us to two flags.’

Their only hope was that Areas D and F connected to B and C. But there was no way Kanghyuk didn’t know that. He was probably guarding the side paths from the center as well.

’In that case, we have to win at least one battle and take either Area A or E.’

Just like in the first Faction War, members were assigned classes and roles. They could kill enemy members to temporarily remove them from the field, so they had to gain an advantage through combat.

“We have to break through the center,” Seonghwi declared. “This hallway is wide. If we can close the distance, we have a good chance.”

“Alright. I’ll take the lead,” Seungpil Seo, the shield bearer, volunteered. “If I can block their shots, we can break through.”

“Hmm. The problem is they got here first,” Seonghwi mused. “If the hallway has a different layout than the map shows, we might just take damage for nothing.”

“No way,” Seungpil scoffed. “The map shows the whole temple. Let’s just go!”

He charged into the hallway. Seonghwi felt a belated sense of unease and glanced down at the map.

“Something feels off.”

“You idiot!” Narae snapped. “What are we supposed to do if you’re having second thoughts after making the call? We have to follow him!”

“Narae’s right,” Hyunjun added. “If you, the leader, are hesitant, we can’t move.”

Seungpil was already drawing fire. As they said, there was no time to hesitate. Seonghwi put the map away and entered the hallway with his comrades.

The volley of arrows lessened. The team advanced cautiously, their eyes fixed on the path ahead as the enemy archer began to retreat. Seungpil’s eyes lit up, and he charged.

“Everyone, follow me! Now’s our chance!”

“W-wait! You’re too far ahead! Stop!” Seonghwi yelled.

“What are you talking about? I’m the shield bearer! This is how I’m supposed to—”

The moment he rounded the corner, a scimitar dug into his neck.

“W-what? What happened?!”

“That guy jumped out from the wall!”

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

In an instant, Blood Lion members appeared from both sides. The Resistance scrambled into a battle stance.

[Shield Bearer Seungpil Seo has died.]

[He will be removed from the battlefield for 5 minutes.]

As the system announced Seungpil’s death, the battle began. Seonghwi quickly pressured the enemy and took the lead, but without a shield bearer, he couldn’t hold out alone. As a Lancer, he could keep the rogue at bay, but dodging arrows was another matter.

Ugh!

“Alright! Seonghwi is down! Finish the others!” a Blood Lion shouted.

An arrow struck his leg, creating an opening. The team, which had been barely holding on, began to be pushed back. Fearing a total wipeout, Seonghwi ordered a retreat.

“Fall back! Everyone, return to your positions!”

“Dammit! We came here for nothing and just got our asses kicked!” one member cursed.

“Shut up and get back, you idiot!” Narae yelled.

And so, the Resistance members fled, having gained nothing but losses.

—

[Capture Point A: Captured (Blood Lions)]

[Capture Point B: Uncaptured]

[Capture Point C: Uncaptured]

[Capture Point D: Captured (Resistance)]

[Capture Point E: Captured (Blood Lions)]

[Capture Point F: Captured (Resistance)]

“…So we’ve barely managed to capture two spots,” Seonghwi muttered.

After the initial battle, they had targeted the side paths, capturing points D and F. They’d taken losses from the back-to-back fighting, but for now, they had to be content. The only place left was capture point C. Fortunately, they were in a stalemate where the corridors intersected, but even that offered little comfort.

’As expected, the Blood Lion faction is a cut above in combat. If we lose even one more person, we’ll lose point C, too.’

The Resistance had to either recapture an enemy flag or, at the very least, secure point C.

[Mission Time: 21:39]

Only about twenty minutes remained. Seonghwi contacted the teammates he had sent to Area F.

“How are things over there?”

“No problems here,” the reply came. “It looks like they’re aiming for capture point C, too.”

“…It’s too early to be certain. For now, just hold your position.”

—”Got it.”

It was highly probable the Blood Lion faction was targeting Area C, but the map didn’t reveal the temple’s full interior. They had already confirmed the existence of shortcuts and hidden passages during the first clash. If the enemy abandoned Area C for D or F, they would advance through completely unpredictable routes.

’We’ve identified a few hidden paths ourselves, but the problem is we can’t afford to move recklessly. Our forces are already spread thin defending the two areas we’ve captured; if we pull even one or two more people away, we’ll lose those areas for sure.’

A headache throbbed behind his eyes. Tactical missions like this were not his forte. Seonghwi let out a pained groan and glanced at his comrades. Their faces were grim, all of them buckling under the immense psychological pressure. The fear of death had begun to set in.

’Damn it. At this rate, buying the Member Swap was a waste. Even if I use it now, I don’t even know who to swap out.’

The item remained untouched in his pocket. With a sigh, Seonghwi checked the hallway. At that moment, he spotted a shield bearer from the Blood Lion faction up ahead.

“Shield bearer spotted. Looks like they’re making a play for Area C.”

—”Understood. I’ll head for support right—Gah!”

“What? What’s happening?!”

—”Th-there are six of them here…”

The connection went dead. A cold sweat trickled down Seonghwi’s back as he stared at the lone shield bearer.

’A decoy?’

—

[You have lost control of Flag Area F.]

[Mission Time: 15:21]

[Your deceased comrades have been resurrected.]

The team members who had died in Area F revived in Area D. Only fifteen minutes remained. Including Area F, the Blood Lion faction now controlled a total of four locations.

“It’s hopeless! All they have to do is run out the clock, and we lose!”

“Even if we take Area C, we’re outnumbered. Our only option is to take one of their spots.”

“It’s over. Just give up. We keep losing every fight, so what’s the point?”

Morale had long since hit rock bottom. Some had already accepted defeat, and any glimmer of hope had vanished. Seonghwi glared at Seungpil, who had collapsed to the floor, his hand tightening around his spear.

’I could kill him right now.’

A murderous aura emanated from him. With the stress mounting, he could no longer control his killing intent. Seonghwi was about to surrender to instinct when Duke Nikunbel’s voice echoed throughout the temple.

—”My apologies for the interruption. Time flows differently within the mission compared to the arena, so this is my only way to inform you. A moment ago, Resistance faction member Taehyun Yoo arrived.”

The Resistance members stood in stunned silence.

—”I will repeat myself. A moment ago, Resistance faction member Taehyun Yoo arrived at the arena.”

Seonghwi abruptly lowered his spear and pulled out the Member Swap item.

“I’m using the Member Swap now. The member being replaced is…”

“I-I’ll go! Taehyun was a Hunter last time, so a Rogue is probably the best fit for him now!” Narae volunteered.

“Alright. Narae, you’re out. The rookie’s in. Any objections?”

Everyone nodded. The situation seemed irreversible, but with Taehyun, a comeback might just be possible. Narae used the Member Swap item Seonghwi handed her.

[Faction Item ’Member Swap’ has been used.]

[Target: Resistance faction member Taehyun Yoo.]

[Narae Min will be transported to the Colosseum arena.]

Narae vanished, and Taehyun appeared in her place. He adjusted the scimitar at his hip, then spoke.

“Sorry I’m late. Let the lion hunt begin.”

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