Chapter 111

In co-op games, the cooperation of two or more users was usually required to proceed with the game.

It was different from general team games.

In a team game, even if one person performed poorly or left, if the others did well, they could fill the gap, albeit with some difficulty.

But what about co-op games?

It was systematically difficult to fill that gap.

Of course, there were exceptions.

However, that was not the case in the current situation.

This was because it was a tutorial that had to teach future cooperation.

The tutorial had to teach the most basic cooperation, so why would they make it possible to do anything alone?

“No wonder it was so difficult for a tutorial.”

Bang!

Bang!

Seo-jun said, watching the compacting robot slam down on the base of the trash mountain.

“Indeed. There must be a reason why the difficulty is labeled Nightmare. Can you carry?”

“Possible.”

“Kya, wow, that’s super reassuring?”

“Be careful from now on. If you die, it’s over.”

Before they knew it, the mission fee had accumulated to nearly one million won.

Even if he split it with Tae-woo, 500,000 won was a huge amount of money.

Although it looked small because he had earned such a large sum of money in a single day by winning the Battleground recently, if he thought about it, the Battleground was not an hourly wage but a three-week pay for 21 days.

In contrast, this was hourly pay.

And the amount was also continuing to rise in real time.

“I’ll go down first and see the patterns and how to clear it, so you wait behind.”

“Yep!”

-Tae-woo, let’s just do it like you usually do ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋxx

-For real, if you just do it like usual, the mission will fail immediately ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-I believe in the host. He’ll do fucking well. But I also believe in that other host. Please troll!

-Honestly, he’s not at the level of an ordinary person, but he’s not a talent monster who clears Soulslike games in one try, is he?

Swish.

Seo-jun slid down like skiing, just like Tae-woo.

Briefly measuring the length of the rope he had seen earlier, he prepared to jump.

As expected, the compacting robot immediately raised its arm and slammed it down, trying to trap Seo-jun inside.

Right before the impact shook the ground Seo-jun was stepping on and threatened to make the person standing on top lose their balance,

Seo-jun jumped first.

Bang!

The compacting robot immediately swept up the trash after slamming down its arm, but Seo-jun was already in a state of having escaped into the air.

However, he could not float in the air indefinitely, and at the moment when the scraper pulled inward was about to collide with Seo-jun’s falling body,

Seo-jun threw the rope toward the robot’s right shoulder and simultaneously kicked the air.

Swish.

Seo-jun, who dodged the scraper by doing a backflip, scraped the ground and landed safely.

In Seo-jun’s hand, there was a tightly pulled rope.

The hook was caught.

‘The game correction is quite convenient.’

He threw it roughly, but the hook wrapped tightly around it.

Though it would have caught even without the correction.

“Hup.”

Instantly, strength went into his arm.

This was because the robot, whose shoulder the hook was caught on, pulled to extract it.

A tug-of-war between Seo-jun and the robot began.

“Judging by how my strength is similar to heavy machinery, it must be an incredible strength?”

A tight balance of force was achieved.

-It is indeed incredible strength ㅋㅋㅋㅋxx

-It’s almost half the size of the trash mountain, but he ties with it

-He’s probably the arm-wrestling GOAT of Earth at least

If it were reality, anyone would see it as impossible, and even if they brought those born with divine power in their past lives, it wouldn’t be possible, but it was a game anyway.

Time passed as his feet dug into the floor made of trash.

1 second.

2 seconds.

3 seconds.

[If I’m alone, there’s a limit to holding out!]

Just then, the narration rang out, and the robot suddenly released the force it was pulling with, as if cutting the tight rope, and rushed at Seo-jun.

The scraper held high and the rope that went slack because of it.

‘Is three seconds the limit?’

If it had been anyone else, their balance would have suddenly broken and they would have leaned forward, but Seo-jun, who never took his eyes off the battle, let go of the force in his hands as soon as the robot released its strength, so there was no particular crisis.

The robot slammed the scraper behind Seo-jun again as if wrapping around him and then swept it up, while Seo-jun lightly jumped and threw the grappling hook.

Clank.

-Keu

-Since he saw it once, he is relaxed, right?

-The host is someone who didn’t get hit even when he saw it for the first time, so would the same attack work on him!

-For real ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

He waited again.

1 second.

2 seconds.

3 seconds.

Boom!

‘As expected, one more person must hook it within that time.’

Seo-jun repeated it a few more times with caution and judged that Tae-woo was needed now to move on to the next step.

“I think you can come down?”

Since there was only one pattern, he must have mastered at least this much?

“Just trust me. I’ve mastered it.”

“Sure.”

Seo-jun avoided the attack again while waiting for Tae-woo, who was coming down confidently.

Seo-jun believed in Tae-woo.

It was in a different sense, though.

‘He will definitely make a mistake.’

I believe!

The fact that you will make a mistake!

He did not say it out loud.

Because he might get fits of anger and actually throw his body to commit suicide intentionally.

This was also possible because he believed in Tae-woo.

He believed that if given a justification, Tae-woo would throw away the mission and the one million won and immediately throw himself in to screw Seo-jun over.

Originally, friends were this kind of existence.

Swish.

Seo-jun landed and pulled the rope.

“Throw it.”

“Got it!”

Tae-woo, who was sliding down, threw the grappling hook toward the left shoulder.

The grappling hook stretched straight and wrapped around properly.

“Oh, it was a feeling like this. But what do we do now?”

-Will the 3-second rule apply to this too?

-3-second rule ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Well, well, if you pick up dropped food within 3 seconds, it’s safe.

-I was talking about basketball though?

-Please drive safely by keeping the 3-second rule!

-Everyone is talking bullshit. It refers to a senior in martial arts yielding three moves to a junior.

Seo-jun, who was looking dumbfoundedly at the chat window talking about all sorts of things, suddenly came to his senses.

Even though three seconds had long passed, the enemy could not react much.

“Hey. Shall we pull?”

He said to Tae-woo, who was preparing to flee immediately if it became dangerous while watching the situation.

“Pull it where?”

“To this trash pile here?”

It felt like the game had said something of that sort.

-So you mean you’re going to bury it? ㄷㄷ

-The host’s true nature is coming out!

-Trying to bury it in a wild hill, as expected. Travel viewers, be really careful.

“Let’s try it first.”

“Yeah.”

Seo-jun pulled the arm with all his might.

It had been tight even when he was alone. Now that the two of them were exerting force together, there was no way it wouldn’t be dragged.

Seo-jun and Tae-woo instinctively spread to the peaks on both sides and pulled the rope.

They did not forget to generate strong force instantaneously while jumping either.

Because only by doing so could they crash the robot into the mountain they were standing on.

The robot was dragged by them,

(＞△＜)

and with that expression, it crashed into the trash mountain with a roar.

Trash scattered in all directions, and three hearts, presumably the robot’s health, appeared at the top of the screen.

And one heart lost its red color and became empty.

“Bingo. Nice one, Seo-jun.”

“It seems we do it like this.”

-Found the method

-Are they going to lose again if they keep this up?

-Safe asset my foot, it looks easy again

-I still believe in Tae-woo

[Nice!]

[Wait, that guy isn’t dead yet.]

The robot, having regained its senses, slid out.

That the white guy had turned red as if running a fever was not just his imagination.

Plop.

There was trash on its head, shoulders, and all parts of the robot horizontal to the ground, and it fell off bit by bit as the robot moved.

(@ @)

The robot shook its head in a dazy state and then came to its senses.

(＼ ／)

The robot immediately rolled rapidly toward Tae-woo, who was on the opposite side of Seo-jun.

Tae-woo faced the robot and spat out a word.

“Me again?”

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Did you have a grudge?

-What’s the criteria? Did it really get pissed because Tae-woo waved earlier?

-There must be a combat power meter. Is that why it’s avoiding the host?

He thought it was probably because he was closer.

Seo-jun looked at Tae-woo’s stream chat.

-It’s because you’re ugly, endure it with grit and determination

-If you’re salty, dodge well

-Show us once

-Let’s go challenge

-How long are you going to be spoon-fed, Tae-woo!

They were provoking him.

Everyone had added to the mission fee thinking it was a safe asset, but they looked anxious.

This was why one shouldn’t bet anything if they weren’t sure.

Seo-jun, who had experienced his heart sinking after making a pledge when first starting the Battleground, clicked his tongue inwardly.

Even though he had made the pledge with semi-confidence back then, hadn’t he been nervous?

“No, I’m telling you it’s not that I’m bad? I’ll show you.”

Right.

While Seo-jun was heading toward where Tae-woo and the robot were, the robot approached Tae-woo and raised its arm.

It was an event that occurred because Tae-woo had not gone up in advance.

However, Seo-jun was not that worried.

Tae-woo probably hadn’t gone up in advance because he was confident.

He would be able to dodge up to that much.

“Oh.”

Tae-woo jumped into the air like Seo-jun and then dodged by kicking backward.

At the same time, he even threw the grappling hook.

-?

-He succeeds on the first try

-Did we look down on Tae-woo too much ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Dammit!

Of course, that did not mean Seo-jun slowed down his speed of approaching Tae-woo.

“Hurry up and hook it!”

It was not because they had to cooperate to shave off another health point.

The tight rope momentarily lost its tension.

3 seconds?

No.

The balance of force broke when not even a second had passed.

The ground supporting Tae-woo was the problem.

A trash ground that easily slid down, and dug deep if one exerted just a little force or landed with a double jump.

Not a land with trash-like soil fertility where it was hard to grow agricultural products, but a floor made of actual trash.

If one didn’t keep it in mind at all times, they could stumble slightly like Tae-woo just did, and the robot did not miss the moment the tight force weakened, immediately rushing in.

Tae-woo failed to prepare for the sudden change in the situation and missed the timing to jump.

Tae-woo helplessly stared at the huge scraper passing over his head.

Whoosh.

At that moment.

Seo-jun, who arrived behind Tae-woo, grabbed the scruff of Tae-woo’s neck and pulled him back.

Tae-woo fell flat on his butt backward,

and thud.

The scraper got stuck an inch in front of Tae-woo’s foot.

-Kya! This is it!

-Wow…

-No, I’m telling you, don’t cheat! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-That super save is fucking cool

It was an accurate calculation of range.

“Wow, damn. I believed in you!”

“Me too.”

“Huh?”

“I said I believed in you too.”

Seo-jun, whose trust was not betrayed, smiled as he swept back his hair refreshingly.

As expected, he had known he would make a mistake.

Even so, it was a bit close, but he saved him anyway.

It was good that he believed.

“What is this? Why do I feel bad?”

“Shut up and just get ready to hook the rope.”

Next, Seo-jun shot forward, leaving Tae-woo behind.

Then, avoiding the arm that approached to attack him, he leaped over the robot and hooked the grappling hook onto its shoulder as he passed.

Due to that force, the robot ended up turning 90 degrees to the side,

and Tae-woo easily threw the grappling hook to the defenselessly exposed shoulder.

“I hooked it! Nice!”

-He looks excited

-It feels good to be carried

-He is really spoon-feeding him everything ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-This was a risky asset again, wasn’t it? Dammit

They exerted force again and crashed the robot into a nearby pile of trash.

***

Boom!

The red of the third heart disappeared and turned gray.

The narration flowed out.

Tae-woo’s character, Art, said.

[Did we get him?]

[Hey, damn it.]

[What?]

[Because of you, that guy is moving again.]

True to those words, the toy stuck in the trash pile trembled in that state and then slowly backed out of the trash mountain.

Seo-jun watched the scene with a slightly pitying look in his eyes.

The sight of it backing out was wretched, and its appearance could not be called good even as a compliment.

The guy, broken to the point where damages here and there caught the eye, was at a level where even an enemy would have to worry about him.

Also.

As if the guy had sensed something, he moved his arms very gently.

However, it seemed he should have been more careful.

Snap.

The long blade attached to the front split into two pieces.

It felt like that toy’s expression right now was despairing, but it was probably just his imagination, right?

-Pity him ㅋㅋㅋㅋxx

-Is this the start of phase 2? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Oh, the scraper became dual swords ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Ah, why is it so tough?]

[Indeed. Uh? Look over there. Why is that door suddenly opening?]

Seo-jun turned his gaze toward the opening door, following the narration.

Rumble.

Along with the ear-ringing sound of some huge object moving, the massive door located on the opposite side of the entrance where the robot had entered opened upward.

Fwoosh!

And beyond the door, something special was shimmering.

Extremely red, and hot just to look at.

Fire.

Seo-jun, who could know why it had opened without even looking, shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s an incinerator.”

Tae-woo said.

“That’s a bit…”

[That guy. Shall we put him in there?]

[Let’s do it right away!]

-Ah…

-The filthy humans are sorry ㅜㅜㅜ

-The one who attacked first was him, but why do I feel sorry for some reason ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-This is self-defense!

-No matter who looks at it, the humans are the bad guys ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ