Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 76
Chapter 76 – How The Veterans Defend (1)
“Ahhh!”
“Kuak!”
An appearance with peeling skin and blood dripping from their bodies. Zombies that craved only human flesh were swarming in.
In massive numbers.
Additionally, because of their speed, the zombies instantly reached the front of the stadium.
“Hyung. Will we stop this?”
Lee Taemin was anxious as he glanced over at the plants sprouting in the stadium.
The Solar Plant bloomed in the shape of the sun. It was quite large and didn’t seem suitable for battle.
“Oppa. No, you didn’t deliberately do something like this, right? Are you doing this for a thrill?”
Even these two veterans had never used plants on the 4th floor for defense.
This was a completely unknown method.
“Don’t worry. Because these guys are a lot more useful than they look.”
Jin-hyuk laughed lightly.
At that moment…
“Here they come!”
Srng!
Chun Yuseong drew his sword and, at the same time.
Kwakwang!
The land shook as the zombies arrived with a roar.
The zombies attempted to enter the stadium without hesitation.
But the moment the zombies set foot inside the grounds.
[Solar Plants fire Lv1 ‘Sunlight’!]
A large plant swelled up and released a sphere around two meters in diameter.
Kwaang!
A massive ball of magic imbued with the sun’s energy exploded in the middle of the dense pack of zombies.
“Kuak!”
“Kaack!”
Zombies stumbled back as their whole bodies caught on fire.
“Kuk!”
“W-what power is…!”
“I think it is much stronger than your average flame skill.”
“..”
All four of Jin-hyuk’s companions were shocked at the sight.
More than 50 zombies were evaporated at once.
“This is why I said it doesn’t matter if we choose the stadium as the base.”
Although there was a strict condition that you had to be the player that defeated the 3rd-floor boss to attempt this strategy on the 4th floor, plant-type items always had the greatest power.
‘Of course, they cannot be used without me.’
In order to understand the characteristics of the plants and use them in the right place, experience is required.
A lot of practical experience.
“It needs a minute or so before it can use it again.”
“In the meantime, we might have to stop those zombies.”
Chun Yuseong grabbed his sword as if there was nothing more to hear.
Well, he was always quick to act.
“Do not overdo it and get bit by the zombies. It will be cumbersome for me if you get infected and the virus changes you.”
“Not funny at all. Do you think I will be bitten by those things?”
“Didn’t you say your opponents were kids a moment back and get your ass handed to you by the murims?”
He barely managed to survive for three minutes. His life was even in danger by the end…
Seriously, that should have been recorded and played on the loop for a whole month.
“T-that! It is because I lost my stamina for a moment. Have you not seen how many people I had to fight!”
“Phew, I get it. This time, please take extra care of your body.”
“Tch.
Chun Yuseong groaned and moved. It was because he knew that no matter what he said, it would just sound like a lame excuse.
“… please do it right this time.”
Don’t forget to keep building your pride until the end.
“Hyung, I will take the middle.”
Lee Taemin, who has a wide range of skills with Machine Lord, could play the role of handling the middle.
After all, it was a skill that was closer to a scam.
“Right. Thank you.”
“Then, can I take the south?”
Teresa also began to move to support the plants. Now all that was left was the east. And…
‘I’ll be able to practice my skills properly after a while.’
Jin-hyuk took out the Twin Dragon Sword he received. Their blades were sharp enough to make any opponent shiver.
Ba-dump!
His heart kept beating quickly.
He was using a relic-class item for the first time.
How powerful could it be? Now was the time to try it out.
‘First with Sword Grave…’
Jin-hyuk began to use qi.
Woong!
An unimaginably harsh aura spread all over the sword.
‘As I thought…’
How could it perfectly accommodate this kind of heterogeneous and ruthless ability? As if they had been one from the start, the sword and enhanced qi were like one entity.
“Kuaak!”
“Kaack!’
The zombies bared their teeth with a desire to consume human flesh. Their mouths dripped with saliva and blood.
“You poor things must have been starving. I will give you a lot to eat.”
Although it wasn’t the kind of meat they desired, he would feed them enough qi so they would never go hungry again.
And like that.
At the top of the stadium.
[Black Moon Night has been activated!]
A black crescent moon rose.
[You have blocked the 1st wave.]
[After 3 hours, the second wave begins.]
[Time Left: 2h: 59m:59s]
A short status window with a clear message. A message that announced their victory.
The players, who were in different defensive positions, began to gasp for air.
“Huk. Huk!”
“Damn it, they came in so suddenly that we had to work more than we thought.”
“I know. Do you know how dangerous it would be if the last wave came like this?”
“Keep holding on. We need to get the additional rewards at all costs.”
On the 4th floor, in addition to taking down the zombie waves, additional rewards are given for completing several achievements.
A reward for most zombies killed was a reward for how many kills each party recorded.
There was also a popularity award done through voting by subscribers worldwide that rated how varied and splendid the defense was.
Those were two.
Both gave the winner a chance to receive an A-grade random box, rare items, and materials that can be sold at high prices on the coin exchange.
A player needed at least one of these two things to get ahead of the others.
But at that moment.
[Highlight video will be broadcasted.]
Another text came up.
A three-minute video that was an edited highlight of each base’s defense was broadcasted for the popularity vote.
“After all, the Chinese side is strong.”
The group that stood out the most was the Chinese guild, who claimed the Mart as their base.
Their performance was a combination of attack power and a strong defense. Looking at the brilliant skills they showcased, they were guaranteed a decently high score.
After a few seconds, the screen changed.
What was shown was the largest and most difficult base to defend, Sangam Stadium.
“Are you saying that five people are blocking that wide place?”
“I wondered what kind of idiots would pick it up, but there really are idiots among us. The foolish ones.”
“I guess so. They will die in the next wave.”
“Puahaha! Look at the defense on both sides. They are plants. Besides, there are two towers placed there.”
Players were ridiculing the video. They couldn’t help but do so.
In defense, choosing a flame tower with tremendous damage or an ice tower to control the movement was common sense.
Plants were challenging to grow and only served to bind the enemy’s feet. It was something that no one would care to use.
But.
As the video continued, laughter turned to admiration.
“W-what?”
“It cannot be…”
They were astonished now.
“Inane. Did you plant those trees with something? How are they so strong?”
“I cannot believe that they grew. What method did they use?”
It was strong.
Strong? Too strong. As if they were laughing down at players who used other towers.
And the most surprising thing was the power of the five defenders.
“Five…blocking that.”
A single person defending an entrance. Unless their skills supported it, it would logically be impossible.
And the person that stood out the most was a black-haired Asian man at the eastern entrance.
“How can he handle enhanced qi so freely?”
“He.. is a player like us. But the thought of meeting him as an enemy is terrifying. Ugh!”
The sight was akin to those players sweeping the zombies as if they were ants.
The difference in power and ability was apparent.
Even when dealing with many enemies alone, they didn’t seem to be out of breath.
This wasn’t at the level of a human.
“Who is it?”
“Must be a ranker…’
“Could be China or Japan. They are the guilds who do such things.”
A man who made the connection then shouted.
“Ah! Player Kang Jin-hyuk! He’s a ranker in Korea!”
“The S-ranked one?”
“Come to think of it, I heard he is a big-time newbie there.”
“If he got an S-rank, then he has to be that strong.”
At a time when strong newbies kept pouring in, it wasn’t easy to remember every person from all the nations. However, at this moment, a single name was engraved on all their heads.
Kang Jin-hyuk of Korea.
And his uniqueness.
At the same time
Jin-hyuk explained the plants to the rest of his team.
“These are bundling, and these are pruning. Since I made the soil all here, you can re-pot them wherever you want to. You will have to prune only the 6th and 7th tree branches. 14th is… do it in an hour. If you do that, it will grow more after that.”
Plants must also be grown to strengthen their defense.
And if the said method was used, the growth rate could be maximized by increasing the number of plants and, at the same time, cutting out the useless parts which were taking away nutrients.
“What do you think? Simple, right?”
“Si-simple? This?”
At how calmly Jin-hyuk asked, Yoo Yeon-hwa sighed.
“Oppa, what kind of botanist are you?”
“Hyung, what did you even do in the tower? I think you can even write a thesis paper about…”
“Mr. Jin-hyuk, you are amazing. For real.”
“It wasn’t unreasonable for me to constantly lose to you. It is my mistake to compete against a man who walks away from the common path everyone takes.”
Um?
Why did it feel like the last one was an insult, not a compliment?
So upsetting
“Well, it can be done this way. Take care of the plants until the next wave.’
“You are taking good care of it. What do you mean? You need to go somewhere?”
Chun Yuseong asked.
It was as if he didn’t understand why Jin-hyuk, who was critical to their strength here, would want to leave.
“I will go to the base next door to us to play.”
He looked at the highlight video and noted that they did a good job.
At this rate, they might even be competing for the most kills reward, and he didn’t like that.
He cannot have a rival here, even if this was a collective effort. This was no cooperative game.
And those murim people… he didn’t like them.
And those who pointed their swords at his friends needed to pay the price.
To never dare think about touching them again.
