Chapter 123: The die is cast

A massive dragon let out its final, agonized roar, shaking the entire castle as its colossal body collapsed onto the cold earth.

Eunha watched the fallen dragon, checking the timing.

‘How many minutes had passed?’

‘Already four minutes.’

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, as if confronted with an inconvenient truth.

She had aimed to finish it as quickly as possible, yet it still took this long.

Of course, based on past experiences, this was undoubtedly one of the fastest successful attempts.

Even so, she couldn’t shake the anxiety creeping in.

There was only one reason for that.

‘If my sister were given four minutes…’

She would be in a pretty dangerous situation.

From what Eunha had heard, she had attempted a breakthrough in mid-lane.

The first turret had already fallen long ago, and the second was in a precarious state.

Eunha’s gaze instinctively turned to Chanhyuk, as if silently asking what he planned to do.

After all, it was the leader’s job to give orders and guide the team.

“For now, let’s plug any gaps and push forward with the points we’ve accumulated. We’re heading back.”

“Okay, everyone, run.”

Fortunately, the objective was in their own dungeon.

If it had spawned in the enemy’s territory, things would have been even worse.

Just as the remaining members of STK burned through their stamina to make a quick return, their footsteps came to an abrupt halt at the dungeon exit.

Standing in their way was…

“Sister?”

Friede was blocking the path all alone.

***

[FRIEDE HAS ARRIVED AT THE GATEKEEPER’S LAST STAND!!!!!!]

[STK’s core players, and she thinks she can handle them solo? What a flex! ᄃᄃᄃ]

[But is that even possible? Maybe if it were just Lotus, but there’s Warden and the others too.]

[No idea.]

[Guess we’ll find out… right now?]

[If she manages to hold them off, that’s a massive win. Even if she gets overwhelmed, as long as she stalls for time, it’s still a big gain.]

[One person holding off four? Insane value.]

[Yeah, I don’t think this is gonna work ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[If she charges in all confident and gets wrecked, that’s gonna be hilarious.]

The chat was flooded with cheers and skepticism over Friede’s reckless move, rivaling even the most intense loot battles.

It was obvious what the streamer team was aiming for:

Forget strategic play using objectives.

Their goal was to bulldoze a straight path down mid.

Their sudden large-scale offensive had caught STK off guard, forcing them to retreat almost effortlessly.

Especially with Friede leading the charge and drawing all the aggro, taking down two core mid-laners was a huge accomplishment.

Even so, was this really the right call?

***

[I’ll block their dungeon entrance. Keep pushing.]

[Huh? By yourself, Friede?]

[The passage is narrow, and my holy sword works well here. I can hold them off.]

[But there’s Warden and Lotus… Alright. The rest of us will keep pushing.]

[Sir, I’m in awe of your courage.]

[Ah, Gunder, quit the nonsense and get going. Alright, I’m counting on you guys.]

Just then, the voice chat echoed through the audience.

The moment she heard that exchange, Eunha finally understood what her sister had in mind.

Still…

“Will she be okay?”

Dayoung’s murmured concern carried both worry and regret.

She was alone, recklessly taking on the enemy’s main force.

It was true that Sehee had overwhelming strength in the game.

But that was only within the system’s mechanics.

After all, this wasn’t a novel or a comic where cheat-like elements magically appeared.

Her skills as a warrior and the fact that her avatar was scanned from her naturally gifted body were undeniable.

‘But was she at a level where she could overcome this kind of gap?’

‘There’s no backup behind her.’

The others were too focused on pushing mid.

‘If she really held off four players, the streamer team’s strength would skyrocket. Still, wasn’t this strategy a bit too reckless?’

Dayoung felt uneasy at the thought of Friede taking a fall from overconfidence.

“Uh… can she really win?”

“Not sure. We’ll have to see. If this were reality, maybe. But in the game…?”

At Ajin’s question, Dayoung responded calmly, leaning back into her chair as the tension tightened around her chest.

It wasn’t just Lotus—Warden was there too.

‘Would her sister really make them dance to her tune?’

At least in terms of Soul Warfare experience, the enemy team was said to be ahead of Friede.

‘How are you going to get through this, sister?’

As the situation reached its breaking point, Dayoung kept her eyes glued to the screen.

At some point, her hand, which had been reaching for popcorn, had completely frozen.

***

—Clang!

A sword absorbed the light, its blade shimmering brightly.

As if guiding the lost through the darkness of the dungeon.

From the distance, a group of enemies rushed toward her.

The moment they saw her standing firm at the gate, they all stopped at once.

Seeing their startled expressions, she let out a small chuckle.

She had wondered if they would push forward, forcing her allies back, but expecting such a cinematic moment had been asking for too much.

Still, seeing their shocked faces made the surprise entrance worthwhile.

The moment they entered her sight, she lifted her sword without a word.

Once again, she gathered light into her blade.

Like a lone beacon illuminating a world shrouded in darkness, the castle’s only brilliance was now concentrated on her sword.

—Clang!

As light converged on the blade and it began to shine, two figures finally understood what she was up to and rushed forward.

A ranger, dual-wielding curved blades, clad in leather armor.

And a knight, armed with thick armor, a massive shield, and a lance.

Behind them, Eunha and another player—Warden—stood on standby.

The showdown was about to begin.

Rather than waiting blankly, their eyes were keenly set on the next move.

But…

“Too late.”

—Clang!

Once again, a mass of light gathered onto the sword, and the holy blade, now fully infused with radiance, no longer retained its original form.

It had ceased to be a mere sword—now, it was a colossal manifestation of pure light.

Lifting it high, the ultimate strike of the fully charged holy sword was unleashed.

In the narrow corridor leading to the door, against the approaching enemies, an overwhelming torrent of radiant fury descended all at once.

Blazing Holy Sword—Torrent of Sunlight.

—Boom!

A massive blade of light swept through the entire passageway.

Walls and floors shattered, and in the wake of the luminous surge, countless fragments of stone and clouds of dust filled the air.

Naturally, the death indicators appeared on the status screen.

My plan to hold the gate with a fully charged holy sword had worked perfectly.

After all, in a narrow alley, where the number of entrants was limited, STK had used shield-based blocking tactics.

But that also meant that I could just as easily block the entrance with my fully charged holy sword.

There was no way to withstand the sheer force of the radiant blade in such a confined space.

‘The best-case scenario would’ve been just holding the line here.’

Unfortunately, they had decided to sacrifice a few as bait to force me to waste my ultimate.

Since respawn timers existed, it was definitely a better strategy than letting me stall indefinitely.

It was a solid decision, no doubt.

‘So, what would the remaining two do now?’

‘Of course…’

At that moment, two figures burst through the dust cloud, charging forward.

Their footwork was different from that of ordinary players.

‘Quick decision-making.’

‘Had they already figured out my intent?’

Eunha’s Lantert saber slashed toward my neck first.

I sidestepped, deflecting it.

‘If I parried properly here, I could take her down in one strike, but…’

‘No opening.’

As if reading my thoughts in advance, Warden’s massive saber cleaved through the air in a diagonal upward slash.

Right now, blocking the follow-up attack was my priority.

Redirecting the saber with my blade, I twisted my body and countered Warden’s strike with a well-timed clash of blades.

“Hah!”

With a fierce shout, Eunha, who had been crouched low, extended her body in a swift motion.

Her Lantert saber lunged at my chest like a bolt of lightning.

‘Annoying.’

If I blocked one attack, the other followed immediately, leaving no room to strike back.

Their coordination was relentless.

I had never seen such fluid combo attacks in a game before.

Not even in ranked matches… Were they really in the same Challenger tier?

I grumbled internally, but the reality was clear.

Step by step, I was being pushed back, while they were advancing forward.

At this rate, I would be forced out of the dungeon, and the two of them would ignore me and regroup with their main team.

If that happened, my team wouldn’t stand a chance.

I had realized in this short time that STK’s teamwork and individual skills lagged behind the streamer team.

‘I have to take them both down here.’

Eunha and Warden—both of them…!

—H!

A clear ringing of my blade echoed through the dungeon corridor as I backstepped, creating a brief distance.

As they swiftly adjusted their stances for the next attack…

A thought crossed my mind.

‘Why was I fighting so desperately?’

‘Why was I taking an exhibition match this seriously?’

If someone were to ask me, I would only have one answer.

Winning feels good.

“Hoo—.”

A deep breath, long pent up, flowed from within me into the cold, dark castle air.

All of my senses sharpened, fully awakened.

I could feel every movement of my opponents through my skin—a strange sensation.

This was just a virtual reality game.

And yet, my mind had never been so focused, so calm.

Lowering my stance, I firmly gripped my holy sword.

The die is cast.