8 Squad. New Map.
Thank you to everyone participating in Cloyd Survival.
800 users connected. Cloyd Survival begins.
Language synchronization... 53%... 98%... 100% complete.
The ga is starting. Difficulty: Upper-Mid. You must make it into the TOP 300. In the current waiting room, attacks between players are disabled.
The designated map is Abandoned Sanggye. Rewards will be distributed starting from the TOP 80, with increasing benefits.
This ga will run for 500 days, and each day will limit which map you can play on.
The force field that restricts the map will grow stronger over ti, so please be careful not to be hard outside of it.
If you are pushed out or fall off the map this ti, it’s ga over—be careful.
This version of the ga is the 8 Squad version. You may form a squad by looking at soone you wish to team up with and requesting a squad.
The ga will continue until only one final squad survives. When the ga ends or you are eliminated, you will return to your original world.
Those who do not place in the TOP 300 will no longer be able to access Cloyd Survival. The current total number of participants is 800.
We wish all players the best of luck.
Please find teammates to play the ga with going forward. Ti limit: 100 minutes. If you don’t form a team within that ti, you will proceed solo.
As the blinding light that made it hard to see ahead disappeared, a familiar heat washed over the whole body—a sensation he knew well.
"Hyung!" (Older brother!)
Turning his head toward the youthful voice, a robed figure—Lyle, wearing a robe far too large for his size—tackled his side.
If he hadn’t recognized it was Lyle, he might’ve countered the attack, even in the waiting room.
Peeling off the one who jumped into his arms, he noticed the dragging leather robe Lyle wore.
"It’s been a while. You’ve been well?"
"Yes! I missed you!"
As Lyle shalessly said sothing so cheesy, Seowoon ruffled his hair affectionately, and their other teammates began to gather around.
"Hey, hey. That’s all nice, but get that thing off above your head. We’re already in a full squad; no need to draw extra attention."
At Dumph’s comnt—his build seemingly larger than before—Seowoon checked and saw that only he and Kichan had their rank symbols still floating above their heads.
White Sword and Crown were ranks that stood out to anyone.
"How do you turn this off?" Kichan asked, and Juriel responded.
"Just wave your hand over your head. It’ll disappear."
When Kichan and Seowoon waved their hands over their heads, the rank symbols vanished like smoke.
"We only have 100 minutes—everyone gather up."
While Seowoon’s Crown rank had briefly drawn attention, there was no ti to worry about others’ gazes.
At the phrase "only 100 minutes," the cheerful faces of the reunited team quickly shifted, and they huddled close to Seowoon.
The sudden change, like a switch being flipped, seed natural—clearly, they’d already been through enough in Cloyd to know the drill.
"Anyone have any info about this map?"
Before anyone could settle down, Kichan sharply asked.
He looked around at the team, but no one stepped forward to speak.
After a long silence, Jinryung finally spoke.
"...Don’t tell —it’s that Upper Realm?"
His uneasy question brought puzzled looks from the players from the fantasy world.
"I was kind of hoping not, too..."
"What is this ’Upper Realm’ place?"
Dumph asked bluntly, and as the martial artists hesitated on how to explain, Seowoon answered.
"So... it’s where the immortals live. Or to make it easier—think angels? Or gods? It’s a place where beings other than humans exist..."
!!!
As everyone’s expressions synchronized in disbelief, Lilingwei spoke up.
"Just dealing with Wonyoungshin last ti was more than enough. If this is really the Upper Realm and so weird epic monster pops out again, I’m out. Last ti we barely survived by a stroke of luck..."
Hearing that, Limin widened her eyes and shouted.
"Wonyoungshin?! Why the hell was sothing like that a monster?!"
Her reaction was understandable. Seowoon calmly explained what had happened last ti for the benefit of those who hadn’t been there.
"No way! You absorbed that Wonyoungshin?!"
"Well... I got lucky."
As the old tale resurfaced, Jinryung shook his head.
"Still, to think you’d use the True Blood Living Demon Art. I don’t know what Master was thinking."
"Is he still in seclusion?"
"Yes. No idea what’s going through his mind. He hasn’t left the sudden seclusion, and now there are already unsettling rumors going around..."
Jinryung trailed off and glanced around at the teammates from the martial world.
Limin and Lilingwei t his eyes with awkward expressions.
Seeing the three like that, Seowoon raised an eyebrow, prompting Lilingwei to explain.
"There are rumors spreading in Jianghu that Elder Yugok has ascended to immortality."
It could’ve been good news, depending on how you looked at it—but judging from Jinryung’s expression, it clearly wasn’t in a positive light.
Seeing Jinryung’s troubled face, Limin added:
"Elder Yugok is a highly respected figure in Jianghu, regardless of faction. But that also ans his influence is enormous. So people want to escape from that influence—and now they’re targeting the vacuum left by his absence. The rumors just won’t stop."
"Don’t worry. Rumors are powerless in the face of truth. Once the Elder breaks his seclusion, they’ll die down. But for now, the problem is this map. Everyone, open your maps."
!!!
At Seowoon’s words, those who opened their maps did not look pleased.
"As you can see—it’s like this."
Everyone stared in disbelief at the map, which looked like scattered islands on the sea, as Seowoon continued his explanation.
"A large central island is surrounded by twelve smaller islands. That’s the layout. And what’s more, this electromagnetic field isn’t a regular circular one, but shaped like this..."
As the voice trailed off, Kichan picked up the thread of thought.
"It looks kind of like a starfish."
"This magnetic field perfectly aligns with the twelve islands."
Even sothing as simple as a dump could infer that this ti, the field was very different from usual.
"This is just speculation, but this ga might not be a simple survival competition. Everyone must have sensed the rules, which used to be solely about survival, are beginning to change. This ti, the ga might impose different rules altogether."
Everyone nodded in agreent.
Considering the previous ga, which had forced players into a second map—Kutrapa’s Sanctuary—and introduced special missions using in-ga coins, it was only natural to expect that this ga too would bring sothing new.
"Judging from the map’s characteristics, I think we’ll be forced to drop onto these ringed islands in sequence. I’m not sure which drop point would be more advantageous, though."
"Wouldn’t everyone end up converging on the central island anyway? It might be best to aim for that from the start."
Jinryung suggested, but limin cautiously offered a different opinion, glancing at him.
"That might be problematic..."
"We’re on the sa team—speak freely. I’d like to hear your insight."
Jinryung, known as the Prodigy of Yugok, one of the top late-joiners, encouraged Limin with a smile.
"Plenty of players will probably be thinking the sa thing when they see this map. If we recklessly drop onto the central island, we might get caught in an early lee."
Juriel nodded in agreent with limin.
"The map’s characteristics haven’t been fully revealed yet, and getting into unnecessary fights early and losing our initial loot isn’t ideal. It might be better to land on one of the twelve islands, get a grasp of the ga, and then adapt accordingly."
Even Seowoon nodded in agreent with the two.
"I agree as well. There’s no need to take risks early on. In a ga where more than half of the TOP 300 will be eliminated, it’s better to play defensively at first."
"Now that you ntion it, that does seem like the right call."
As Jinryung nodded in honest agreent, the group resud their lively discussion.
Players who had been wandering in search of teammates seed to have all found their squads about an hour into the waiting ti. Like Seowoon’s squad, they were seated together and planning their strategies.
With less than thirty minutes left before the ga began, Seowoon’s squad finished their discussion.
"If things go as expected, we’ll drop onto the second island we pass over."
Once everyone nodded in agreent, Seowoon carefully brought up a new topic.
"As a fixed squad, there’s sothing I’d like to discuss with you all."
As everyone turned their attention to him, he took a mont to pull out canned drinks from subspace and handed them around before cautiously continuing.
As the team cracked open their cans and took sips, Seowoon finally spoke.
"I want to bring in a new team mber."
The first to respond was, unsurprisingly, Jinryung.
"Looks like you’ve got soone in mind. Who is it? Soone I know?"
When Seowoon nodded, Juriel and lilinwi’s expressions hardened.
The two of them had witnessed Jinryung and Seowoon’s initial encounter and figured that if Jinryung knew the player, there was a good chance they did too. Instinctively, one na ca to mind.
"Namsagwang. What are your thoughts on accepting him as a mber of our fixed squad?"
The team’s reactions were mixed at the na.
Jinryung looked thoughtful, as if seriously considering it, while limin and Dumph (Rael) looked puzzled, clearly unfamiliar with the na.
Juriel and lilinwi, however, kept stiff expressions, a hint of discomfort in their eyes.
"Who’s that? Is he strong?" asked Dumph bluntly.
Seowoon nodded.
"Very."
His imdiate answer sparked curiosity in the three unfamiliar with the na.
The Seowoon they knew was sharp and competent, not soone who easily acknowledged others. For him to vouch for soone ant sothing.
"Stronger than Yeoharan?" limin asked.
This ti, Seowoon shook his head.
"Not even comparable. He’s overwhelmingly stronger."
Their eyes widened at that.
Stronger than Yeoharan?
"A martial artist?"
Seowoon nodded again, clearing the doubt from their faces. limin’s expression filled with intrigue—how could there be such a strong player, one even he hadn’t heard of?
"He’s a reclusive master with the skill of reversing age and returning to youth."
It was Jinryung who explained.
At the ntion of "reversing age," limin’s face contorted in shock.
"W-wait—reversing age?! Is that true?"
"It is."
Jinryung replied with a wry smile.
limin tilted his head, confused as he looked at everyone’s hesitant expressions.
"Wait... was he so forr grand dark sorcerer or sothing?"
Jinryung quickly shook his head.
"He’s from the righteous sects."
"Then what’s the issue? If he’s that strong, of course we should take him in."
After glancing at lilingwi and Juriel, Jinryung cautiously began to explain what had happened with Namsagwang in the previous ga.
Hearing the story, limin’s face began to twitch.
"S-so you’re saying..."
"He has a... preference for sadism. Especially toward won," lilingwi clarified bluntly.
limin awkwardly nodded.
"T-that’s... an unusual preference..."
But it was clearly more than just "unusual."
"There will definitely be advantages if we team up with him."
Juriel, after a long silence, finally spoke. lilingwi nodded in reluctant agreent.
It was clear the remaining team mbers were holding back because of the two won. They had no choice but to make a decision.
"There’s no doubt he’d be an asset. If everyone else agrees, I’ll go along with it too."
Once the two won gave their consent, the rest of the squad—who had been watching their reactions—also agreed.
"Is he scary?" asked lyle, wide-eyed and visibly nervous.
Seowoon nodded.
"He’s a scary guy, sure. But if he’s on your team, there’s probably no one more reliable. And if the deal goes well, we might even be able to get help from him outside the ga."
At the ntion of help beyond the ga, the martial artists’ eyes glead.
They instinctively understood what it ant to receive help from a master of Reversing Aging and Returning to Youth.
-The ga is about to begin. Now revealing the main rewards for this round.
[World Exit Ticket.] [Player Resurrection Right.] [Elixir of Radiance.] [Treasure of the Abandoned Celestial Realm.] [Ring of Divine Protection.]
As the notification signaled the beginning of the ga and the main rewards were revealed, so of the players began to stir with excitent and nervousness.
-Announcing the Main Quest. Trtrtrtrtrtrtr. Ding! Destroy over 100 Seondongun. Only those who complete the quest may claim one of the main rewards.
No one knew what Seondongun was, and everyone looked confused — and at that mont, the ga began.
-Soon, you will be sharing your vision through the Eyes of Argus. When you see a location you wish to descend to, say "Descent" through Argus’ Sky-Gazing View, and you will safely land on the ground. We hope you collect many items from your chosen spot. If you do not descend by the end, you will be automatically dropped at the final point — take caution.
-Preparing for ga start...
As the familiar sensation washed over him and his vision changed, Seowoon imdiately sensed sothing was off.
-Don’t panic! Just stick to the plan!
Instead of surveying the map from above, their vision shot upward into the sky.
As their view kept climbing, Seowoon wondered if they were about to breach the atmosphere.
At that mont, the Eyes of Argus abruptly ca to a halt.
Seowoon looked down and was stunned.
Instead of islands floating on the sea, cloud islands were hovering high in the sky.
As Argus began to move clockwise from the topmost island, Kichan shouted:
-Over 100 descending on the first island!
-Exactly 132.
That was Jinryung’s additional report.
In this unfamiliar ga environnt, experienced players boldly dropped right at the starting point to catch others off guard.
But Seowoon had anticipated that.
That’s why he had devised a strategy to drop at the second island.
It was a tactic Seowoon believed would let them ambush others who thought they were being clever.
-Drop!
At Seowoon’s command, everyone began to descend. As he flipped his body mid-air, he scanned the players falling with them.
-Sixteen players besides our team! One squad of eight is landing close to us!
In this ga, Seowoon was both the scout and the main strategist. His eyes glead as he carefully tracked every player’s descent.
-Landing! Estimated enemy drop point is 600 steps away.
That was Jinryung’s briefing.
-We’re faster! Attack!
Seowoon flipped his body midair and turned toward the direction Jinryung was heading.
Jinryung, Lilingyu, and Limin took the lead, while Lyle, Kichan, and Juriel followed close behind on their air boards.
Dumph and Seowoon were adjusting their fall to land directly into the fray.
Through Seowoon’s perspective, he saw Jinryung crash into two knights who had drawn their weapons the mont they landed.
-Kichan! Fire!
From above, Seowoon quickly grasped the situation and gave his order.
It was clear this wasn’t a coincidence — the enemy squad had deliberately dropped close to theirs and was already engaging Jinryung as if they had anticipated his move.
[T/L: Read extra Chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : sko-fi/pokemon1920 ]
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