Something felt off.
Normally, when someone dies, their items drop at the spot—but the items are "unidentified." The problem was that the items here weren't glowing. That meant they were already identified.
'A trap?'
Whatever it was, it wasn't a good idea to give away that I noticed. I kept streaming casually.
"Wow, lucky me, huh?"
Playing it cool, I slowly reached for the item. With my eyes closed, the other player might be trying to locate me by sound—or assuming it was just a skill or an item. Most likely the former, since nothing suggested the latter.
As my hand hovered over the item, I summoned my weapon.
"Now!"
I jabbed the spear confidently at the player who was flaunting their item.
Thrust!
"Ugh!"
The man pretending to be a corpse screamed. I didn't hesitate and drew the spear fully—kill log appeared.
[Pilgong_ killed Mirieoape]
[Survivors: 17]
The other player pretending to be a corpse stood up.
"How'd you know?"
I answered politely. Even if I explained, there was nothing they could do.
"The item was already identified when it dropped."
"Hah."
They laughed in disbelief. Items automatically identify the moment they're picked up, so knowing this didn't give the opponent any advantage.
"Then, let's fight."
"Don't underestimate me just because I set a trap."
The opponent drew a sword.
'Use reach to my advantage.'
With my spear, it was easier to fight at a distance. I quickly created space between us.
"You think you can run?"
The opponent charged, aiming to close the distance. Then they activated a skill.
"Slash."
The sword emitted a blade wave. I barely dodged, though it grazed me slightly.
'No problem—plenty of potions.'
Unexpectedly, they'd picked up a level core, but the situation still favored me. Slash was on cooldown; I just needed to finish the fight during that window. I swung my spear toward them.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
But the opponent skillfully blocked every strike. Things looked good for me now, but the moment Slash's cooldown ended, the tide could turn.
'No choice.'
I usually wouldn't use it, but a prolonged fight would be disadvantageous.
"Stealth."
I activated the skill, disappearing instantly. Of course, I could see a faint translucent outline of myself.
"What? Stealth skill?"
The opponent panicked immediately. Physically capable, but clearly lacking composure. I quietly circled behind and stabbed.
Thrust!
The spear hit perfectly in the side—system confirmed the kill.
[Pilgong_ killed SeweoreulNochinja]
[Survivors: 13]
Checking the chat, reactions were priceless.
"They set a trap here."
"Thought the love shot was just random."
"Smart move."
"Two kills already—good job!"
Most viewers were just amazed, but the real question was how the VIP would react.
"Yeah, kill him!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Dodge! Get out of the way!"
The VIP cheered enthusiastically. Encouraged, I checked the dropped items. The last downed player had blue items, and the earlier one had yellow.
"Oh, lucky me."
Just what I wanted.
[Level Core acquired.]
[Select skill to activate:]
—Rannachal
—Throwing
—Acceleration
I activated Acceleration, as planned, securing mobility.
"Next…"
Predictably, the yellow item was another potion. Perfectly in line with expectations. At least it refilled what I used in the fight.
"Mission complete."
KimchiMandu timed it perfectly.
[Mission Success!]
['KimchiMandu' donated 50,000 won!]
[Mission recognized.]
"Thank you so much, VIP, for the 50,000 won!"
―Profit!
Knowing I was finishing players off, KimchiMandu spammed angry chat jokingly. Then, the system announced:
[The arena is shrinking.]
[Survivors: 10 or fewer.]
[The arena is shrinking rapidly.]
I checked the survivors.
[Survivors: 7]
Over ten left moments ago, now only seven. The storm was badly positioned.
"Time to move quickly."
I dashed with Acceleration into the zone. During that, three more kills were logged.
[Survivors: 4]
Four left.
'First place is in sight.'
And I wasn't the only one thinking so.
―VIP's doomed lol
―100% first place
―With current loot, no one can beat him
―VIP's gonna cry
Other viewers predicted my victory. Even the VIP, the one who'd challenged me, wasn't far off.
―Crazy luck-based trash game
―How can you give such loot on this map to a beginner!
The VIP cried in chat, but I wasn't about to let it slide.
'Just don't fight recklessly.'
I had stealth and six potions—enough for survival. I moved to the arena's center, crouched, and disappeared. Soon after, another kill was logged. Apparently, someone eliminated another while moving.
'Three left.'
Just a little longer. Then I heard metal clashing.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The remaining two were fighting. I activated stealth and moved toward the sounds. One was inside the zone, the other outside, seemingly controlling access.
'Throwing spear?'
The inside player kept throwing spears, which magically returned to their hand—not like mine stuck in the ground. Curious, I checked chat for an explanation.
―Oh? Someone with a skill got caught.
―Pay-to-win?
―Or lucky RNG drop?
―Maybe unlucky streamer got outplayed.
―Didn't expect someone to use a retrieval skill.
"Retrieval skill?" I asked viewers directly.
―A subskill for throwing spears.
―A passive from mastering spear throws.
―Or an item effect.
―Just makes thrown spears return.
―?
Most guesses were wrong. Finally, someone clarified:
―Choose spear and Esper class to unlock this high-level skill.
Clear and concise.
'Esper class, huh… this could be easy.'
I saw the opportunity: I used stealth to get behind the inside player. When they retrieved their spear, I planned to strike.
Clang!
But my attack was absurdly blocked—pure coincidence. As they pulled back their arm to retrieve the spear, it happened to block my strike perfectly.
Ridiculous luck.
"Huh?"
The ambushed player looked stunned. Stealth was gone.
'This is bad.'
If the outside player intervened now, it could go poorly. Without knowing their skill level, I couldn't rush.
"… …"
We both waited, hiding behind cover. Then the system announced:
['CakeLover' died outside the arena.]
The outside player was gone. I checked survivors.
[Survivors: 2]
Just the opponent and me. I activated Acceleration. I moved toward their cover, but they aimed the spear where I'd land.
―Die!
The VIP screamed in excitement. Throwing attacks are faster than slashes or stabs, so this was dangerous.
'If I fight head-on…'
I crouched fully—better to take a body hit than a head hit.
Thrust!
The spear pierced my stomach. I immediately chugged multiple potions I'd stocked. Health skyrocketed.
"Huh?"
The opponent tried to retrieve their spear, but I held it, preventing them. I advanced and struck.
Swish!
Fighting near the storm, their poor health made them die from the damage-over-time effect.
[Pilgong_ killed Gukidalda]
[Survivors: 1]
The system confirmed I was the last survivor, immediately followed by another message.
[1st Place]
[You are the most skilled hunter!]
The VIP responded with a single, perfect chat message:
―Luck-based trash game!