World's Strongest Survivor-Chapter 51

DuQuad. Approaching Misfortune.

Kichan cautiously approached, placing a hand on Seowoon's shoulder as he looked down at the brutal remains of Jongcheon.

"You did well. Guess that takes out the trash."

"It's easy to beat someone to death here. The hard part was finding him."

As Seowoon finished speaking and opened the box, an unexpected item caught his eye.

[Fragmented Secret Manual. This is the seventh of eight pieces. Once all eight are gathered, its true name will be revealed.]

"Hah, didn't think I'd get something like this."

"Hyung, are you collecting the Fragment Series?"

"That's what it's called?"

"Yeah. On the forums, they call stuff like fragmented manuals, skill books, spell tomes, and crafting guides the 'Fragment Series.' I haven't seen anyone complete a full set though. I hear each piece can cost 50 to 60 coins."

"I just happened to get this one."

Kichan nodded in admiration.

"As expected of a coin tycoon."

Seowoon hadn't been consciously collecting them—it was pure luck—but he didn't bother saying so.

Just as they finished looting and turned to head back to the village, Kichan grabbed Seowoon's arm.

"Hyung. Let's just get out of here."

"You worried?"

It was natural to doubt the reliability of a temporary alliance, especially with the enemy having one more member.

"I've been in situations like this while playing. They rarely end well."

"I was thinking the same. But look—he's already waiting."

Kichan flinched and raised his staff as Seowoon nodded in a direction.

Following Seowoon's gaze, Kichan spotted a warrior half-hidden beside a giant tree, arms crossed, clearly watching them.

He too wasn't advancing—seemed more like he was staying alert.

"He definitely cleaned up the back end."

Even at a fair distance, the man's voice came through loud and clear, as if he were right in front of them.

Seowoon responded with the same nonchalance, his voice amplified by inner power.

"Thanks for that."

"Our agreement still stands, right?"

"Of course. Even in a world like this, I'd like to keep my word."

No sooner had Seowoon finished speaking than two more figures appeared at the man's side.

An archer dropped lightly from a nearby tree, and a mage stepped out from behind.

Kichan tensed even more.

"We're going to continue looting. Don't mind the leftover items—just keep farming."

"I would, but my teammate here looks like he might collapse from the tension. Just think of those items as a parting gift."

As Seowoon stepped back, the warrior spoke again.

"My name's Zhang Sihui."

"I'm Jin Seowoon. If the chance arises, let's win-win again."

"That would be nice."

They exchanged smiles before turning and walking away.

"Haaa—"

As the enemies disappeared from view, Kichan let out a deep sigh.

"You that tense?"

"Of course I was! That damn archer dropped out of nowhere—my heart almost stopped. How can you stay so calm around people like them?"

"Well, my Hamit is great at picking up hostile intent. If someone's watching us and he says nothing, it means they aren't hostile."

"Ah... so his name's Hamit? I heard ego weapons had names, but I didn't know they had that kind of ability. You could've given me a heads-up. I was freaking out for nothing."

"Still, it's good to be tense in front of enemies. You can't show fear, but it's normal to stay keyed up, prepared for the worst."

Kichan nodded, though he still gave Seowoon an annoyed look.

"Anyway, the top objective for this game is done. Now we need to figure out our next move."

"What do you think?"

"Survival is our top priority. That means camping and looting. The problem is our route. The first day's not even over yet. The sun's starting to set, but we've got two choices: either move in close to an objective and camp early, or keep rotating through effective looting zones."

"Camping and looting, huh."

It was a strategy often used in games, but it worked just as well in real situations—so much so that even someone as experienced as Kichan was seriously weighing the options.

"For the DuQuad version, staking out a hotspot early might not be a bad idea. There'll be others thinking the same, of course, but usually there's not much good loot near objectives, so moving in early to claim a spot can work out."

"But if too many people had that same idea, it'll be a nightmare."

"If we can just survive and secure a position, we'll have peace for a while. At least until the survival cutoff."

"So, we going with hotspot camping?"

Kichan hesitated for a moment before asking seriously.

"Before that... will you be okay, Hyung? I'm used to camping tactics. But the downside is that the longer the game goes, the more dangerous it becomes."

Seowoon understood exactly what he meant.

"Lack of loot is a definite risk."

Cloid was a place where the weak could easily become strong in an instant. Surviving by camping might keep you alive, but it also meant you risked falling behind.

"And we might walk away from this game with nothing but survival. I'd be fine with that. But we're in the same squad now, so I want your take."

Kichan expressed his view clearly without pushing it on Seowoon—a level-headedness rare for his age, no doubt honed through many quad matches.

"Hmm... camping and looting..."

Seowoon paused, then his eyes sparkled.

"What if we could do both?"

Hiding while avoiding the enemy's gaze and farming in stealth?

Of course, it wasn't impossible since the barrier zone was still wide. But the efficiency of "rat farming" wasn't very high.

In the end, to increase the chances of getting good items, one had to head toward bigger villages or larger cities.

When Kichan gave Seowoon a puzzled look, Seowoon opened his mouth.

"What did I say is the best kind of farming?"

At those words, a grin spread across Kichan's face.

"Player farming."

"Exactly. Just pick a spot that looks like it'd be deserted, camp out there, read the player movements, and ambush them for a quick strike—player farming only."

"The plan sounds solid, but... with a map this big, is it even doable?"

"There's also the Eye of Distortion. And there are players who dropped near the city behind us, so it's not impossible. Only downside is we'll have to camp out in the wind and rain."

"If we can guarantee maximum safety and good loot, there's no reason to take unnecessary risks."

Having reached an agreement, the two began discussing while looking at the map.

They exchanged opinions while predicting the movement paths of players who had survived after dropping near the city, and marked several locations on the map.

***

Day 3 of the game.

341/400

Unlike other games where dozens of players dropped out within the first day, only about 60 had been eliminated even after three days had passed.

"Damn it! I told you we should've ditched the mana cart!"

As they trekked through an unmarked forest path, the knight at the front shouted, while the mage trailing behind, wrapped in a robe, furrowed his brows.

"You're the one who insisted on bringing that mana cart in the first place."

As tension rose between the two, an archer, who had been scouting from the trees, dropped down between them to mediate.

"Everyone agreed to travel by mana cart at night. There's no point arguing about the outcome now."

"Tch! I'm the one who has to face the enemy on the frontlines! Losing a martial fighter is a huge blow."

"He sacrificed himself for the team. And we all agreed with his decision. In the end, we just need to make it to the safe zone and honor him."

The archer's words, whether they were meant to mediate or corner him, left the knight speechless. Irritated, he kicked a rock jutting from the ground.

Still not over his anger, the knight stomped ahead on his own. The archer patted the mage's shoulder and followed after him.

Then, both the mage and archer's expressions hardened.

"Wait, don't—!"

Before they could even finish their warning, the knight took one more step—and was hit by a massive shockwave.

Compressed air exploded outward, flinging the heavily armored knight like a leaf. His helmet was knocked off, and he crashed hard into the ground, tumbling violently.

A single arrow was lodged in the middle of his forehead.

The mage and the archer exchanged a quick look and nodded, then immediately darted off in opposite directions.

Seowoon chased after the archer and spoke through team voice.

– Can you handle the mage on your own?

– Yeah! At the very least I can keep them occupied, don't worry!

The archer leapt over branches, swiftly moving through the trees. As he twisted midair, two arrows grazed past his limbs.

While rotating, he shot back three arrows in rapid succession toward his rear, then continued escaping over the treetops.

But then, an Ice Lance flew past him and froze the next branch he was about to step on.

Though he somehow managed to land despite the slippery surface, his speed dropped drastically—and that's when a fist infused with qi flew at his back.

– Ka-kang!

The archer drew his double-bladed sword from his waist, deflecting the fist and landing on the ground. Seowoon, watching this, stored his bow back into subspace.

There was no point using arrows anymore—the opponent wielding the double-bladed sword could easily deflect them.

Seowoon dove down toward the archer and slammed his fist.

The archer gritted his teeth and thrust his sword back in response.

Seowoon countered the strike, but the blade merely wavered a bit and didn't break form.

– Cha-cha-chang!

Like a snake, the opponent's sword struck at Seowoon's face. He lifted his shoulder to block it.

His shoulder split open and blood splattered, but he didn't retreat. He pressed in with relentless punches, closing the gap from sword range to fist range, forcing the opponent to twist away.

– Thud!

There was a satisfying recoil as his punch landed, and the enemy was knocked back.

Even while flying backward, the opponent maintained balance and prepared for another strike—his agility was exceptional.

– Clang!

Sword and fist clashed, a shrill metallic sound ringing in the air.

The opponent's quick movements and mastery of the double-bladed sword were an excellent combination.

But the longer the fight dragged on, the more the archer's face hardened.

Technique and agility alone weren't enough. The gap in internal energy between them was too great.

Seowoon was simply overpowering him with raw force and qi.

As the archer retreated and a small orb the size of a fist appeared in his hand, Seowoon clenched his fist and activated a skill.

Barrier.

A skill obtained from spinning Hamit's skill wheel after midnight.

A shield stronger than a standard one momentarily formed in front of Seowoon—just as the enemy hurled the orb, and a burst of intense flames exploded forth.

Seowoon charged straight through the flames and appeared right in front of the archer, slamming his fist into him.

– Thwack!

The archer looked down at the fist embedded in his chest, coughed up blood, and collapsed backward.

Sensing the heavy life energy in the enemy, Seowoon immediately opened the Absorption Gate and drained it.

Then he spoke to Kichan through team voice.

– It's clear here. How's it going on your side?

– Just finished up here too.

As Kichan's words ended, the fallen archer's body disappeared and a loot chest appeared in its place.

– Finish looting and meet me there.

"Three days of hiding, and we end up on the same team."

Seowoon muttered to himself as he opened the chest.

***

"Heh heh, proves that a man's got to use his head."

A massive man, whose bulging muscles made him look like a knight clad in heavy armor, pushed up his goggles and murmured.

"Kichan! Quit posing and get looting already."

A leaner man compared to him, oddly wearing a shoulder guard on only one arm, kept scanning the surroundings even while sorting through items, ready for any potential enemies.

The bulky man in tight leather gear clicked his tongue and replied.

"Tsk tsk, you've always been too soft. Acting like some spineless rookie instead of a proud warrior of Sisle. Our great Sisle warriors... huh?"

As he raised his arm mid-sentence, the man called Kichan paused, staring in confusion at the arrow lodged in his arm.

"Kichan!! We've got enemies!"

"Yeah, I figured that out when I saw the arrow in my arm."

He yanked the arrow out of his arm roughly, blood spurting out. A smaller figure in a robe quickly approached and placed a hand on the wound, healing it instantly.

-Thwip thwip thwip!

Kichan, who had been scanning the area, quickly shielded the robed mage as three arrows came from different directions, embedding into his back.

"Kahe! How long?!"

Feeling the throbbing pain in his back, Kichan called out. The man with only one shoulder guard, Kahe, scowled deeply.

"Damn it! This guy's no amateur! I can't get a read on his location!"

-Clang!

Kahe barely deflected an incoming arrow with his shoulder guard but staggered and fell backward.

The force behind the arrow wasn't normal.

"Kichan! We need to retreat! This isn't going to work!"

"We can't! Since when did the Sisle tribe ever turn their backs to the enemy—"

-BOOM!

A sudden explosion from an arrow hitting Kichan's back cut him off mid-sentence. He flew backward with the mage in his arms.

-Thwack!

Kahe, running with a scroll in hand, was struck in the neck by a shorter-than-usual arrow — about two-thirds the length of a normal one.

Blood gushed from the hole in his throat as he collapsed, and finally, the archer revealed himself — a man holding a bow.

"Jurolkana..."

Kahe muttered the name bitterly with his last breath. Jurolkana slowly approached the barely-breathing man and aimed another arrow.

He flipped the man over with his foot, and his previously blank expression twisted into a frown.

"Heh... he's long gone by now. Your precious honor... one day I'll—"

-Thunk!

Once again, his words were cut off. An arrow fired at point-blank range pierced the man's forehead, killing him instantly.

After Jurolkana confirmed the kills by shooting arrows once more into the hearts of Kahe and Kichan, their corpses disappeared and a wooden chest materialized.

"Random teleport, huh."

He murmured, looking down at the torn remains of a golden scroll on the ground.

***

[Skill Book: Eyes of the Forest. A skill honed by the elven warrior Daenk in the forest. Consumes mana to enhance sight range and detail in forest environments.]

[Skill Book: Senses of the Forest. A skill honed by the elven warrior Daenk in the forest. Detects unnatural presences within a 30-meter radius.]

[Martial Arts Manual: Dragonflow Sword Technique. A high-level sword style of the Gyoryong Sect, based on continuous flow. Requires prior mastery of the beginner-level Windgrass Sword Technique.]

[Black Kaier's Bow. A bow crafted from the horn of Black Kaier, increases arrow speed by 15%.]

Seowoon looked down at the chest with mild disappointment as he skimmed over the rest of the unnecessary items.

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