"More Frightening Than Falling Behind":
[Ding! You've received 240 reward coins. Kill bonus! An additional 50 coins have been awarded. You've made the final 5 three times in a row. An additional 30 coins have been awarded. You've been the final survivor two times in a row. An additional 30 coins have been awarded. You've achieved a feat by hunting an epic monster. An additional 30 coins have been awarded.]
"380 coins…"
As Seowoon calculated the total and considered what to spend them on, Kichan let out a shout with wide eyes.
"Three hundred?!"
"Huh? You didn't get that much?"
Hearing Seowoon's casual tone, Kichan looked at him like he'd lost his mind.
"Hyung, how many did you get?"
"About 80 more than you."
"Huh?!"
Kichan's jaw practically unhinged in disbelief. Meanwhile, Seowoon calmly looked through the rewards screen and nodded.
"Oh, I got 60 extra from making the top 5 three times in a row and being the last survivor twice. So the remaining 20 must've been from kill bonuses."
"Ah… There are bonuses for that too, huh…"
"When I made the top 2 two times in a row, I got 15 coins, so I think the rewards double each time you stack a streak."
Kichan, doing the math, looked up in alarm.
"Wait, so if you win again next round… You'd get 120 coins just from the streak bonus?!"
"Probably."
"That's insane!"
Seowoon grinned at Kichan's expression—he clearly wanted to scream "This is a scam!"
"Use your head. Think about the odds. In a survival match with 100, 200, maybe even 400 players, do you think it's easy to place first or even top 5 multiple times? From a probability standpoint, the rewards are actually stingy."
Rationally, Kichan understood that. Emotionally? Not so much.
"No wonder the rich get richer…"
Considering you only got 5 coins just for surviving, Kichan's frustration was understandable. So Seowoon didn't press the point.
"Come on, let's pick our items."
[Summoning Item Shop…]
Martial Arts Manuals
Qi-Absorption and Vitality Cultivation (30 coins)
Gale Step (50)
Bone-Hardening Technique (80)
Killer Demon Sword Style (30)
Spear Techniques (30)
Bone Crushing Fist (20)
Phantom Step (25)
Bridge-Guard Sword Style (15)
Torn Manual (60)
Flower Petal Sword (20)
Hardened Step (10)
Cowherd Spear Art (30)
Magic Tomes
Flame Burst (65)
Earth Wave (10)
Flame Bird (55)
Pray Guard (15)
Air Barrier (10)
Earth Strike (30)
Earth Will (23)
Fire Will (30)
Electric Impact (25)
Skill Books
Eyes of the Forest (10)
Forest's Sense (15)
Kaier Barrier (20)
Kaier's Echo (30)
Kaier's Earth (35)
Mind of Kasan (13)
Mimicry (25)
Accessories
Ring of Blessing (30)
Torga's Ring (45)
Toka's Ring (60)
Askro's Necklace (1)
Miscellaneous
Tongue of Dokabu (5)
Elmwood Bow (3)
Black Kaier Bow (5)
Enhanced Black Kaier Bow (×5)
Mana Jewelry (1)
Group Teleport Scroll (5)
Elixir of Spiritual Energy (20)
Paralysis Poison (1)
Antidote (1)
Craig's Treasure (×30)
Askro's Necklace (1)
Desert Stone (1)
Damaged Obsidian Chestplate (1)
Sky Enhancement Stone (100)
Staff of the Abyss (100)
Soul Crystal ×10 (1)
Purification Crystal (1)
Kutrapha's Treasure Map (3)
Kutrapha's Secret Manual (100)
Airboard (30)
Throwing Dagger (1)
Spatial Arrow Quiver (15)
Magic Enhancement Scroll ×3 (5)
Shield Scroll (5)
Artisan's Dagger (10)
Cloak of Stealth (70)
Red Energy Pill (90)
4th Circle Core (50)
Obsidian Sword (30)
Plasma Orb (10)
Jerky (1)
As the list popped up, Kichan muttered, "They say people spend what they earn... But a hundred coins for a staff? I should really save some coins for the future…"
Seeing his hesitation, Seowoon quickly said, "Don't pick anything yet!"
"Eh?"
"Just look. There's a lottery too."
"Ah!"
Just then, a notification rang out.
[Ding! Players who made the top 5 receive lottery draws.][You have 3 spins available.]
Looking at the spinning wheel that appeared in the air, Kichan got excited.
"If a staff comes up, that's a free 100 coins! This is broken!"
"Yep. Broken in a bad way—like if you get jerky instead, it sucks."
That one line immediately cooled Kichan's excitement.
"Ugh…"
"For the record, I pulled Askro's necklace twice."
"Why are you saying scary stuff…"
"Just be careful. Want to go first?"
"Phew… Okay…"
Taking a deep breath, Kichan cautiously spun the wheel.
[Spinning... Ding! You received a Sky Enhancement Stone. Congratulations.]
"Whoa! Jackpot!"
Seowoon's eyebrow twitched.
"Meanwhile, my first draw was a one-coin necklace…"
He didn't want Kichan to fail—but he'd secretly hoped his friend would experience at least a little disappointment. Just once.
"Does he look more handsome today, or is it just me…?"
Watching Kichan beam and clutch the enhancement stone, Seowoon narrowed his eyes.
[Ding! You received Desert Stone. Congratulations.]
"Pfft!"
He couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Watching Kichan slump in despair over the useless item was strangely satisfying.
"Hey, it was free."
"Sigh… Yeah… At least the gods gave me one more chance."
Quoting a movie, Kichan hyped himself up and spun the wheel one last time.
[Ding! You received Flame Burst. Congratulations.]
"Ooh!!"
Grinning with joy, he held up the glowing spell tome.
Seowoon smiled.
"Congrats. That's 166 coins worth of loot for free. Not bad, huh?"
"Hyung! This is crazy, right?!"
"Totally. Go dig in the dirt and see if you find a single coin."
"First place really is everything…"
Patting Kichan's shoulder, Seowoon stepped up to the wheel and gave it a spin.
[Ding! You received Askro's Necklace…]
"ARGHHH!!"
He screamed in disbelief.
A third Askro's Necklace in a row. Furious, Seowoon raised a clenched fist filled with internal energy, aiming for the wheel—only for Kichan to quickly stop him.
"Hyung! Y-you still have two more spins…"
"...Hoo…"
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he focused and spun again.
[Ding! You received the Staff of the Abyss. Congratulations.]
"Huh?"
"WHOA! JACKPOT!"
Both reacted, though Seowoon's expression was more stunned than thrilled.
Sure, it was a top-tier item worth 100 coins—but Seowoon was only a 4th Circle mage.
"Hyung… That staff…"
Kichan's eyes sparkled as he looked at the golden staff floating before Seowoon.
Just as Seowoon was about to hand it over with a wry smile, Kichan spoke up.
"How about I buy it off you for 80 coins?"
"Huh? Coins can be traded?"
"In the Quad, team members can exchange coins in the reward lounge. I heard it's allowed."
As he spoke, Kichan moved his hand in the air. A system chime followed:
[Ding! Team member Kang Kichan has transferred 80 coins to you.]
"Ooh! So that's a thing."
Tossing the staff to Kichan, Seowoon smirked.
"Thanks so much, Hyung!"
"Doesn't matter if I have it or not."
Seowoon turned his gaze to the wheel and gave it one last spin.
[Spinning… Ding! You've received the Torn Manual. Congratulations.]
"Huh. Pretty ambiguous. Maybe it's fate telling me to collect these things?"
"You still made out with around 160 coins' worth, Hyung. Maybe the rewards are set to a certain coin total regardless of the item?"
"Can't be…"
Even as he said that, Seowoon watched the disappearing roulette with a slightly troubled expression.
"Well, all that's left is picking the items."
He now had 509 coins, thanks to the latest reward, the 80 coins from selling the staff to Kichan, and some leftovers from before.
"The problem is… I didn't find that many good items."
After pondering the list, Seowoon made his picks:
[You have selected: Gale Step, Bone-Hardening Technique, Toka's Ring, Sky Enhancement Stone, Kaier's Earth, Kaier's Barrier, Damaged Obsidian Chestplate, Soul Crystal (x10), Purification Crystal, Extreme Spirit Pill, Mana Jewelry, Enhanced Black Kaier Bow, and Desert Stone. A total of 374 coins have been used. Remaining coins will be carried over. Finalize selection?]
Even with 135 coins left, there wasn't much else worth choosing.
He'd taken all the valuable picks Kichan had tipped him off about.
"You done?"
"Yep. Shall we wrap it up?"
"Yeah. The moment we step outside…"
Trailing off, Kichan gave a cold smile.
"I know."
The moment they pressed the O button, instead of a screen change, several messages popped up.
[Congratulations on your promotion to Fixed Player status. You may now select and participate in matches.]
[The Fixed Player 'Friend List' feature has been unlocked. You can now freely send friend requests and communicate with players from other worlds.]
[The Fixed Squad feature has been unlocked. You can now designate up to 20 fixed teammates.]
[As a promotion reward, your spatial ring's rank has been upgraded.]
As the final chime echoed, their view cleared—
—Only for Jongcheon and Chilsang to rush at them, hurling curses.
"You son of a bitch—!"
"I swear I'll kill you!"
As the three dashed forward, Seowoon suddenly retreated, making them hesitate.
"Shouldn't you check something before you start screaming insults?"
In Seowoon's hand were two ancient manuals, which immediately disintegrated into dust and vanished on the wind.
Jongcheon, Chilsang, and Daljin froze. Even Kichan calmly pulled out a golden staff and a magic tome, both of which turned to dust as well.
"Here's a quiz: who has the right to talk crap right now? Us—who survived and became Fixed Players—or you lot, who washed out and are done?"
Jongcheon's crew exchanged uneasy glances—then turned and bolted.
They didn't get far.
Thud!Boom!
Seowoon weaved past Jongcheon's sword and punched him square in the chest, while stretching forward to block Chilsang with overwhelming presence.
Kichan, now far faster, stopped Daljin in his tracks and shattered his golem with magic.
"T-this is the real world! Not Cloyd! If you kill someone here—"
Szzzzzzzt!
Before Chilsang could finish, Seowoon's hand twisted unnaturally, ripping through Chilsang's shield with a sickening screech.
The jagged sound left Chilsang trembling on the ground.
"Aaaargh!!"
Daljin screamed, electrocuted by lightning from the golden staff—his cry echoing into the night sky.
"No, stop!!! Please!!!"
Kichan, unmoved by the plea, burned the magic circle etched into Daljin's heart, ignoring the screams as his core shattered.
Daljin's body convulsed violently before finally falling still, froth foaming at his mouth.
Crunch!
As Chilsang clutched his shin and screamed, Seowoonlightly stepped on his leg—shattering the bone.
"AAAGH!"
Ignoring him, Seowoon walked over to Jongcheon, who was groaning on the ground, clutching his chest.
"Y-you didn't have to go this far…"
"People who say 'you don't have to' are always the ones who did."
Ding!
Jongcheon's sword flew from the ground toward Seowoon's neck—
—but he caught it between two fingers.
Snap!
With a flick, the sword tip broke clean off and fell to the floor.
"You know, after my first game ended, I didn't choose a cultivation technique. All the internal energy I'd built in Cloyd… It just vanished. I got back here, and I felt so empty I almost cried."
Jongcheon's face turned pale.
"P-please don't…"
CRACK!
Before he could finish, Seowoon's foot shattered Jongcheon's dantian—the core of his inner power.
"Agh…"
Worse than the pain was the hollow sensation of his life force draining away.
As Seowoon coldly watched the limp bodies—Daljin unconscious, Jongcheon sobbing quietly—he walked toward Chilsang, who tried to crawl away.
"You're a skill-based tank. That's the only reason I'm letting you off. Don't get it twisted. I thought about breaking every bone in your body and severing your spine… but external injuries can be healed with scrolls."
He crouched down, face unreadable.
"One promise though. If anything happens to my parents—whether they get a scratch in a car accident, or slip on ice and get a bruise—I'll come for your families. I'll return it ten thousand-fold. Think about that."
Chilsang nodded like a bobblehead, eyes wide in terror.
"Good. Best we never see each other again."
With that, he turned away and walked over to the wrecked Hayabusa with Kichan.
"Wow… this thing's totaled. Will it even start?"
VROOOM!
The bike roared defiantly, engine intact despite the damage.
"What happened to the license plate?"
"Took it off. Didn't want to be traced."
"Smart move."
Seowoon climbed on behind him, and the battered Hayabusa growled away into the night.
Back at the scene, Chilsang clutched his leg and fumbled for his shattered phone.
"C-call an ambulance. This is serious. And don't follow them. Don't even try! Just shut up and get me a goddamn ambulance!"
They'd lost their chance to become Fixed Players.
The rage was immense—but they had no idea something worse could exist.
To lose your power.
Seowoon had shattered Jongcheon's dantian. Kichan had burned the magic circle from Daljin's heart.
Chilsang? He just had a broken leg.
But for all three… their promising futures were over.
"How did it come to this…"
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]
IF you want to buy the rest of the chapters in one go , then i can give you discount. Enjoy reading.