Ding-

[The crown is granted.]

At the center of Blue Team, a dazzling crown descended from the sky.

The fifty Players stared at it, frowning.

“This… isn’t it a bit too much?”

“Haah… Figures, right up to the end.”

The reason was the quest’s content itself.

[Protect the King!]

Description: I will grant you a crown. Elect a king! Protect your king and seize the crowns of other factions!

Reward: Rank up a desired stat.

Looking just at the quest, it couldn’t have been better.

Protect the king, huh.

‘We’re taking first place on this one too.’

Blue Team members were certain they’d win this Daily Quest as well.

After all, their leader was such a monster he hardly needed protecting.

But the moment they read what was written under [TIP], their minds changed.

[TIP]

– The crowned king gains a special Buff.

– Seizing another faction’s crown lets you stack effects.

– The king’s location is shown on the map.

– If the king is dethroned, the trial ends immediately.

– Each crown’s point value differs by faction rank.

1. Blue Team – 100 points

2. Red Team – 30 points

3. Purple Team – 20 points

4. Green Team – 10 points

‘100 points…’

Each team’s crown was worth a different number of points.

Blue Team’s crown was worth a whopping 100 points—more than all three other factions’ crowns combined.

What would the other factions think when they saw that score?

That even fighting tooth and nail, they’d end up with fewer points than the Blue Team just sitting still.

-Let’s join forces.

That’s what most of them would be thinking.

And that was exactly why the Blue Team members furrowed their brows.

No matter how outstanding Ha Gangwoo was, no matter how solid their stronghold, when 150 Players teamed up, things changed.

“Let’s run! If we keep moving, they’ll have a hard time grouping up.”

“But our location’s marked. That’s even more dangerous.”

Voices shot out from every direction.

After everything they’d been through, the discussion felt more orderly than before.

But no conclusion came.

Their gazes naturally drifted toward two men.

Han Seongdae, the Blue Team’s brain, and Ha Gangwoo, their leader.

Feeling their eyes on him, Han Seongdae shrugged.

“At this point, we don’t have many options anyway. I’ll follow the leader’s call.”

As Seongdae handed the reins to Gangwoo, all forty-nine pairs of eyes turned to him.

‘Hmm…’

Ha Gangwoo felt the weight of their stares as he sorted his thoughts.

Just as Seongdae had said, the Blue Team only had a few paths left.

1. Fortify the castle by setting traps around it.

The Blue Team’s Crown was worth 100 points. Just by defending it, they’d snag first place.

There was no need to risk splitting their forces or launching a strike on another faction.

But if the three other factions joined hands and laid a strategic siege, the castle was bound to fall.

And that brought him to option two.

2. Hit the weakest faction first.

Find and crush the weakest faction, then hunker down to defend the castle.

Eliminate the threat before any alliance could form.

But that came with the risk of movement itself.

A few other ideas flickered through his mind, but those two were the safest clearing methods.

‘Hmm…’

Ha Gangwoo weighed the variables carefully, then made his call.

“We’re defending the castle.”

The safest route with the fewest variables—option one.

The instant the order fell from his lips—

“Yes, sir!”

—the team roared back in unison.

“First, let’s dig up the ground!”

“I’ll reinforce the walls!”

And they burst into motion.

***

Ding-

[Crown awarded.]

In the temple, thick with black mist.

At its center, a crown descended in blazing radiance.

[Red Crown]

Grade: A

Description: A crown that proves the king of Red.

(Caution! If the crown is seized by an enemy faction, the trial immediately ends for all your team members.)

Effects

-All stats increased by 100%.

-HP/MP recovery rate increased by 100%.

-Acquire King’s Aura.

*Set Effect (1/2)

-All stats increased by 100%

*Set Effect (1/3)

-Acquire Golden King’s Blessing effect.

Kang Seongbin stared at the crown, a chilling smile curling across his face.

‘I was overthinking it.’

The moment he saw the Quest, only one thought filled his mind.

-Alliance is the only way.

A six-day faction war. He had to admit it.

The Blue Team was excellent, and their leader, Ha Gangwoo, was a monster. I thought I’d caught up, but I was still lacking.

That left only one possibility: an alliance.

But the moment I saw the Crown, my mind changed.

‘I’m hitting everyone.’

The Green Team, the Purple Team — all of them. I’d take them down.

With the Crown’s effect alone, I wouldn’t need allies. I’d be enough by myself.

Kang Seongbin was just beginning to sketch out his clearing strategy for this Quest.

“The King’s obviously the leader. So, how do we play this?”

“What’s there to figure out? We hit Blue Team first. Even if we scrap Purple and Green the hard way, second place is all we get if we can’t take Blue.”

Red Team members tossed opinions back and forth, voices weaving into a tangled argument. No conclusion emerged. Their gazes converged on Seongbin.

“What do you think, Leader?”

“Make the call.”

Feeling those eyes on him, Kang Seongbin set the Crown on his head.

*Ding-*

[The King of the Red Team is Player Kang Seongbin.]

(From this moment, Player Kang Seongbin’s location will be revealed.)

*Ding-*

[All stats increase by 100%.]

The welcome notifications came, and power surged through his body like a flood.

*Whoom-*

A crimson aura coiled around his entire form.

‘Damn, it’s broken.’

Satisfied with the boosted stats, Seongbin stepped up onto the altar.

*Gulp.*

Red Team members swallowed dryly, staring at Seongbin as he shimmered with an intense, roiling light.

At their first meeting, the Red Team had resented Seongbin.

A leader who climbed to the top through brute force. Coercive. Unjust.

But six days had passed now. Their eyes were different.

Not a single player among them still nursed a grievance.

He knew when to pull back in danger, and he never held back encouragement in hard times.

Beneath the brutality, he’d shown them leadership.

The team felt a deep trust in Kang Seongbin.

A cold, viscous silence spread around the temple.

Standing on the altar, Seongbin looked down at his team.

They hadn’t washed in six days. They were exhausted to the bone. But their eyes were sharper than on day one — burning with hardened resolve.

‘Not bad.’

Feeling their will, Seongbin slowly opened his mouth.

“You’ve worked hard. Thank you for trusting me and following me this far.”

His voice rang clear and resonant through the silent heart of the temple.

“Only the final trial remains. My shortcomings have cost us first place every time — but not today.”

*Crack-* The team members clenched their fists, their eyes steeled with determination.

Seongbin drove his massive greatsword into the altar with a heavy *thud* and bellowed.

“Today, we bring down every faction and finish this trial in first place!”

And in that moment, as the speech ended—

*—WAHHH!!!!!!*

A colossal roar filled the temple.

***

The dawn air filled the forest.

Thick with mist, the woods lay shrouded.

The Purple Team was on the move, footsteps echoing somewhere unknown.

Ding-

[RED] [BLUE] [GREEN]

Hua Yian, the Purple Team leader, pulled up the map and checked the King’s position.

Blue Team hadn’t budged from their base.

Green Team was frozen in place too.

‘That’s how it should be.’

Hua Yian studied the map, a satisfied curve touching his lips.

Everything was unfolding exactly as planned.

[RED] [GREEN]

But there was a wrinkle.

‘How the hell do I win him over?’

The variable was Kang Seongbin, Red Team’s leader.

An unreadable bastard—impossible to predict.

Still, judging by the map alone, it was still within his expectations.

Red Team was moving toward Green Team, after all.

About ten minutes into Purple Team’s march.

‘Too late…’

Hua Yian frowned at the map.

[RED] [GREEN]

Red and Green had already met.

Thump. Thump.

For a moment, Hua Yian’s heart hammered in his chest.

‘He wouldn’t actually fight, would he?’

Hua Yian’s plan had hinged on the alliance from the very start, and that made him uneasy.

“We have no time. Let’s move fast.”

“Yes, sir!”

He had just started to hurry his steps when he stopped dead.

[Red]

‘Annoying bastard.’

Barely ten minutes had passed, and the Green Team had vanished into thin air.

Crack—

Hua Yian ground his teeth at the sight.

‘Kang Seongbin…’

Kang Seongbin had been infamous since birth.

The monster who tore through his own mother to be born. The elite who swept every prize during his academy years.

For anyone dreaming of becoming a Player, his past was so illustrious that not knowing it was the stranger thing.

But Hua Yian had come to know Kang Seongbin for a different reason.

Kang Hocheol’s son. The spawn of a demon’s bastard.

‘Kill him now?’

In an instant, Hua Yian’s eyes turned cold and sharp.

‘Not yet.’

But the timing wasn’t right.

For the ultimate vengeance, he had to endure a little longer.

Hua Yian held onto his composure by a thread.

“Leader, what do we do now?”

“Ah… we’re screwed.”

Then his team members threw questions at him.

The original plan had been to take down Blue together and then stab him in the back.

Hua Yian stopped in his tracks and sank into a long silence.

No matter how he turned it over in his mind, no answer came — so finally, he made a call.

His face cold and set, Hua Yian spoke.

“Trust me, just this once.”

Calmly, he laid out the next Clearing strategy.

“I trust you.”

“We got this far because of you, Leader. I’m fine with it.”

The team agreed to Hua Yian’s approach.

And so, the Purple Team pressed on for ten more minutes.

*Shwwww—*

Beneath a colossal waterfall, small huts clustered together.

And at their center,

a hundred or more Players fixed their gazes on a single man.

‘Kang Seongbin…’

Even from a fair distance, Kang Seongbin’s figure was unmistakable.

A fierce crimson aura blazed around him — like flames burning, intense and unnerving.

As the Purple Team stepped into the Green Team’s base, a system window rose from the sky.

Ding-

[The Green Crown has passed to Red!!]

[The Green Team’s trial is now over. Please wait until the trial ends.]

A seven-day journey — and the first eliminated team had emerged.

Hua Yian ignored the System window and muttered to his teammates.

“Then I’ll be off.”

“Go get ’em.”

“If it looks like you’re losing, just give up. That bastard’s a psychopath.”

The Purple Team, having grown fond of Hua Yian, didn’t hold back their encouragement.

Hua Yian headed toward the waterfall, listening to his teammates’ cheers.

At that, from the center of the hundred, Kang Seongbin stepped forward.

His expression remained cold, his movements free of hesitation.

Thump-thump-

Hua Yian felt his heart pound as he stared at Kang Seongbin.

That crimson aura rippling across his entire body.

With the Green Crown secured, he must be under a 200% stat Buff.

‘Can I win?’

For a moment, doubt crept in.

Hua Yian had watched Kang Seongbin for six days.

-What the hell did you do?

Kang Seongbin had grown beyond compare to four months ago.

That demonic form — infuriating enough to kill, and just as strong.

‘It’s doable.’

But that was all. With Cube No. 1 in hand, Hua Yian was practically invincible.

Just as Hua Yian was sizing up Kang Seongbin’s full power, Kang Seongbin thrust his massive sword forward and spoke.

“Surrender if you don’t want to die. Otherwise, I’ll kill you all.”

Kang Seongbin coldly said, brandishing his enormous greatsword.

“Hoo…”

In an instant, a prickling sensation swept through his entire body, raising every hair.

But Hua Yian had no intention of listening to that kind of threat.

Sreeung-

Hua Yian drew the sword from his waist and spoke with leisure.

“I’ll request a 1-on-1 PVP.”

At that, the corner of Kang Seongbin’s mouth curled up thinly.

“Interesting bastard.”

Then Kang Seongbin’s expression dropped cold.

‘So he thinks he can win in a one-on-one.’

Kang Seongbin looked at Hua Yian, sifting through his memories.

‘Hua Yian.’

He was definitely in there.

Four months ago, in the Academy PVP Tournament. A second-round opponent.

If Hua Yian had been some nobody, he wouldn’t have remembered. But Kang Seongbin did.

As soon as the match started, a transparent barrier enveloped Kang Seongbin’s entire body, and he swung his blade.

Clang!!!

He couldn’t break through.

Even unleashing the Demon Hand and pouring out his full power, he couldn’t shatter it.

And then.

-I forfeit.

The man who had trapped him forfeited. In that instant, rage surged through him.

‘Is he toying with me?’

A sudden forfeit—he’d wanted to settle it to the end.

Then he met that man again, this time in the Job-Change Trial ground.

At the most critical moment, he’d challenged him to a 1v1 PVP.

What did it mean?

Kang Seongbin could think of only one meaning.

That their earlier match had been a mercy win—that if they’d gone all out, he’d have been the victor.

That man actually believed that.

‘I’ll take it.’

It was what Seongbin wanted too.

That barrier he had never been able to break.

He wanted to see that bastard’s face when he shattered it—the look of despair.

Kang Seongbin slammed his massive greatsword into the ground with a thud and bellowed.

“The final round is a 1v1 PVP. Don’t move a muscle, no matter what.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Red Team’s thunderous reply kicked things off,

and with a shiiing—

the 1v1 PVP between Hua Yian and Kang Seongbin began.

***

Roaring—

At the Green Team’s base, where a massive waterfall thundered down.

“Haah…”

“Our team’s totally screwed…”

The already-eliminated Green Team players scowled as they trudged toward the PVP arena.

“Captain! Aim for the shoulder!”

“Ah!! Damn it, the leg! Hit the leg!!!”

A crowd of hundreds formed a circle, watching the Crown-match PVP.

‘Might as well watch,’ they thought.

Though the Green Team was already out, they were curious about the PVP’s outcome.

For six days they’d crossed blades, competing against each other.

Now they wondered who would seize the final first place.

Just as the Green Team stepped into the PVP grounds with keen interest,

Ding-

[A Last-Place-Only Quest has arrived.]

[Predict the First Place!!!]

Description: Guess who will take first place among the final teams!!

Reward: Bonus to final rank.

[Time remaining for choice: 59 seconds]

– Red

– Purple

– Blue

A breathing room of a quest had arrived for the Green Team.

Only a paltry 59 seconds to choose. But the Green Team didn’t hesitate. The answer was already set.

‘Blue.’

‘Obviously Blue’s taking first.’

Six days into the trial.

Blue Team had held first the whole time. Their leader was none other than L-Grade Player Ha Gangwoo. They were certain he would win the final Daily Quest too.

Just as the Green Team members were about to bet on Blue in their unexpected stroke of luck,

CRUNCH!!! Slice-

“AARGH!!!”

Along with a gut-wrenching scream,

Ding-

[The Purple Crown has been transferred to Red!!]

[The Purple Team’s trial is over. Please wait until the trial ends.]

Red Team’s leader. Kang Seongbin had seized all three Crowns.