When I had first requested a collaboration stream, Taeya had wanted to introduce me while we played the Channel together.
But the moment I mentioned that I was preparing for Ranked Matches, he immediately changed the direction of the broadcast.
‘Because we can’t play Ranked Matches together.’
In a Placement Exam, where each individual’s evaluation had to be precise, it was forbidden to form a party beforehand and enter together.
Otherwise, people could manipulate their apparent skill by merely reaping points under a talented Player.
‘The best result you can commonly receive in Ranked Matches is the top tier of Iron.’
It meant that your placement rank was still Iron, but after only one or two more matches, you could immediately advance to the Bronze Promotion Match.
All the world’s most acclaimed Players had begun in the top tier of Iron. In Korea, K1’s Nam Siwoo was famous for having received a top-Iron placement.
‘Nam Siwoo.’
It was a name I had not heard in a long time.
By this point, he should have been serving as K1’s Captain and as a member of the Korean national team.
“...Tsk.”
I decided not to think about that bastard right now.
Thinking about something shitty before an important task made it easy to screw it up.
[Connecting to Channel.]
The message appeared, and my entire body was enveloped in light as the familiar sensation washed over me.
The ground suddenly dropped away, and the landscape changed in an instant.
[Ranked Match: Placement Exam—Solo Match]
[Genre: Survival]
[Map: Magic City ‘Astria’]
[Objective: Defeat more Players!]
[Time Until Start: 5 Minutes]
As the darkness faded, a cityscape with a mystical atmosphere came into view.
Gothic-style buildings and spires that seemed to hold the Milky Way rose high enough to pierce the sky.
‘Magic City, Astria.’
Like the other maps, it was an urban district built for chaotic skirmishes to break out everywhere.
In other words, it was more than suitable as a Survival map.
“Phew...! Let’s do this!”
“Finally, the Placement Exam!”
People gradually began to materialize around me.
Perhaps because it was the Placement Exam, every one of them looked full of excitement and tension.
-Why does Jaeha, sir, look like he is not nervous at all?
-How is that the attitude of a Level 10?
-Wow, this brings back memories of my Placement Exam... I lost all three matches and started at the very bottom of Stones.
-Dance for us.
Then chat messages abruptly appeared in front of me.
“Damn, you startled me.”
Because Taeya’s stream was linked to me, I could see the chat as well.
I could not hear it, but Taeya had to be commentating live outside right now too.
‘Then I should show them something, shouldn’t I?’
As it happened, there was something I knew about this map.
It was not a Hidden Quest, but there was still an undiscovered quest.
Unlike the previous one, though, it was not a quest you received before the match began.
You had to build up at least ten kills before you could receive it.
‘So first...’
I needed to put on a show of skill.
[Players are entering....]
[Time Until Start: 1 Minute]
People gradually filled the area, and the starting time approached.
After slinging the massive battle hammer over my shoulder, I took out something I had brought in my pocket.
-What’s that?
-Candy?
Candy I had bought before coming here.
“Before an important match, I chew one piece of candy. It’s a kind of routine.”
I had regained a body that no longer needed to chew Mana Capsules.
But my body still needed this sensation before battle.
After putting a piece of candy in my mouth—
CRUNCH!
—I bit down and crushed it.
[All Players have gathered.]
[The game begins!]
The Ranked Match Placement Exam.
Had begun.
The moment it began, all kinds of attacks flew in from every direction.
Arrows, magic, thrown spears, daggers, and even Warriors who intended to fight me directly at close range.
-That is why I said not to go where there are lots of people;
-In Survival, the golden rule is to pick up kills in a secluded spot first.
-He threw away the first match.
-???: “I’ll make a pledge. I’ll get Bronze or higher from the Placement Exam.”
The moment it looked as though I was in danger, the chat reaction immediately changed.
Actually, they were not wrong.
In Solo Match Survival, starting with numerous enemies around you was a good way to die quickly.
But conversely—
‘It also means it’s a good place to scoop up kills!’
I gripped the hammer with both hands.
[Gravity Field] (D)
I activated the Skill.
HUMMMMM!
A violet force field spread around me.
The air in the area abruptly grew heavy, pressing down on the bodies of every other Player inside the field.
“Wh-What is this?!”
“My body is heavy...!”
“Nngh?!”
Those suddenly trapped in a prison of gravity frowned in panic.
Naturally, the arrows and weapons flying toward me also plummeted to the ground just before they could reach me.
“It’s my Skill. I can increase the gravity around me.”
I kindly explained it for the confused viewers.
-A gravity Skill? Is he a Mage?
-No wonder the Ghouls fell over by themselves in Underground Prison...
-Then wouldn’t he be unable to move too?
“Ah, that doesn’t matter.”
Inside the intensified gravity zone, I burst forward with a deliberately light step.
“Because I can move!”
Thanks to the increased weight, even though I had only lightly kicked off the ground, a massive tremor burst out.
Using that sheer force as a weapon, I swung the battle hammer with all my strength.
“Hup!”
“W-Wait!”
I attacked the Warrior struggling beneath the increased weight with everything I had.
Mana flowed finely from near my heart all the way to my fingertips.
And added to that—
[-The destructive power of attacks increases as gravity intensifies.]
—was the Constitution effect of Master of Gravity.
KRAAAASH!
With a monstrous impact, the opponent’s entire body was launched away.
It looked as though he had been struck by a massive cargo truck.
[You defeated a Player!]
[Kill Count: 1]
One-shot, one-kill.
-???
-In one hit...?!
-And he was even a Warrior?! Not a Mage or Supporter?!
This was an attack that had even shattered the reinforced panels in a training room.
Moreover, my current attributes were already far beyond those of an ordinary Level 10 Player.
In a place like this—
“I couldn’t get hit even if I wanted to.”
Smiling leisurely, I turned around and saw one or two Players staggering to their feet.
“Nngh... Is my body heavy because of that guy...?!”
“Haaah!”
It seemed they had begun adapting to the gravity of Gravity Field.
If I had not narrowed its range to forcibly increase its output, then Players, as superhumans, could move once they adapted to this level of gravity.
‘Because it’s still only D-grade.’
‘Well, that doesn’t mean they can beat me.’
After lightly avoiding the magic fired at me, I circled around and took down three Mages in the rear at once.
KRAASH! CRASH! CRASH!
Each time the hammer struck, the entire area shook as though an earthquake had hit.
“You bastard!”
Perhaps in an attempt to catch me off guard, a Sword User activated a Skill and charged at me.
“Do you think that is enough?”
A thin blade like that—
was nothing but paper before a massive hammer.
[Swing] (E)
As the hammer swept through the air in a violet arc, the sword shattered completely.
“Huh...?”
“Good wo—”
I grabbed the neck of the Sword User, whose eyes had gone blank.
“—rk!”
Then I slammed him down with all my strength!
BOOOOM!
The ground caved in, and the Sword User’s eyes rolled back.
“Urrrgh...!”
The strength drained from his body, and he dissolved into light.
[You defeated a Player!]
[Kill Count: 5]
In less than a minute, five Players had already gone down.
After dusting off my hands and straightening up—
“Ah... Aaaah...!”
“Mon-Monster!”
The surrounding Players stared in horror and slowly backed away.
Why was everyone leaving me all alone?
If they would not come to me, then I had no choice.
“Come hug me.”
I would have to go to them myself.
.
.
.
[Kill Count: 12]
It took less than ten minutes to deal with every Player in that large group by myself.
“This side is cleared.”
-Cleared...?
-This is Survival, right? Not hunting?
-He is just overwhelming....
-How does he take one person down with every hammer blow, lol?
Honestly, even I had not expected this much.
Thanks to my Constitution’s effect, the already high-weight, high-speed strikes of my hammer had their destructive power amplified even further. It seemed Players in this level range were easy to handle.
“By the way, it should be about time...”
When I raised my head and looked at the sky, a massive red magical formation was slowly taking shape.
“The first one is Flame.”
Magic City Astria had a special mechanic.
At fixed intervals, enormous spells rained down across the entire map.
There were three types: Flame, Lightning, and Storm. To counter them, you had to enter a safe zone generated around one of the spires across the map.
Naturally, not just any spire would do. Only spires engraved with a constellation symbolizing the corresponding attribute produced a safe zone.
This time, since it was Flame, I should have headed to a spire marked with a flame symbol, but—
-Where are you going?
-There is no Flame spire that way.
—I headed in an entirely different direction.
At the end of my path stood a spire marked with the shape of a storm.
“I’ll reveal one special piece of information only to those who came to watch today’s broadcast.”
With a grin, I placed my hand atop the spire.
“After you first reach ten kills in Astria, if you touch a spire engraved with a constellation different from the current spell...”
[A quest has been activated.]
“You can receive a quest.”
-Huh????
-Seriously? It really is!
-Astria had a quest too?
-Is this another first discovery?
-Holy shit!
-How did he know this too...?
[Quest: Soul Flame Collection]
▶The reason that these enormous spells rain down upon the peaceful magic city of ‘Astria’ is the Mana excessively accumulated throughout the area. As a capable problem solver, you have been asked to retrieve the ‘Soul Flames,’ congealed Mana scattered throughout the region.
▶Objective: Collect ‘Soul Flames’ scattered throughout the city. (0/30)
▶Reward: <500C>, <Low-Grade Blank Scroll>
Since it was not a Hidden Quest, the rewards were not as generous as before.
Still, guaranteed 500 Credits and an item was more than valuable information.
FLASH!
The moment I accepted the quest, bluish spheres began appearing throughout the city.
“I’ll need to collect those while gathering kills too.”
In many ways, getting Astria was lucky.
Not only did it have an undiscovered quest—
‘When Players head to a safe zone, they conveniently gather together on their own!’
BOOM!
I loaded Mana into my legs and leaped with all my strength.
My view opened wide.
As it happened, there was a Flame spire near one of the Soul Flames.
The Players who had gathered there first were already locked in a fierce battle.
“Gravity Field.”
I immediately intensified the gravity and dropped toward them as though plummeting from the sky.
When I reached toward the Soul Flame, it was absorbed into my body.
[Soul Flames Collected(1/30)]
“Now that I have successfully collected a Soul Flame—”
Next came, naturally—
“Collecting kills!”
[Rain of Fire begins to fall across Astria!]
[Please evacuate to a safe zone!]
At that very moment, rain of fire began to fall.
The Players in this safe zone could no longer leave.
“Kyahahahaha! This is why I love this map!”
“What is that?! What kind of lunatic... Aaargh!”
“Aaah! Urgh!”
This was supposed to be a safe zone?
‘That’s bullshit.’
How could it be a safe zone when I was here?
Like a lion feasting after starving for days, I began sweeping up kills.
When I struck the ground with the hammer, those who lost their balance swayed violently.
Taking advantage of the opening, I generated gravity and began dealing with them one by one.
“St-Stop that!”
“Is that person really only Level 10?!”
Eventually, the sad turn of events came when several Players formed a team and attacked only me.
But they did not threaten me in the slightest.
“My body is heavy...!”
“Nnngh!”
“Urk!”
After I gave them a few gentle pats with the hammer, they all became my points.
I could not hold back tears at their touching spirit of self-sacrifice.
“Kehehehehe!”
Still, it was better to laugh than cry.
By the time the event where kills practically duplicated themselves had ended and the rain of fire outside the safe zone stopped—
“This side is roughly finished too.”
I was the only living creature still breathing there.
-What did I just watch...?
-Was Ranked Match always this easy?
-That skill is actually insane.
-The way he smiles while swinging that hammer is fucking terrifying, lol.
-So he is the boss, right? The other people are supposed to defeat him?
After lightly checking the chat response, I looked around.
A new Soul Flame happened to catch my eye.
I smacked my lips.
“I should head over there next.”
-Everyone, ruuuun awaaay!!!!!!!!!
-The mad hammer monster is coming!
-People over there, run away!
-Shin-saster is cominggggg!
Despite their attempts to stop me, my hammer never came to a halt.
As a result—
[Kill Count: 50]
[Soul Flames Collected(30/30)]
The first Placement Exam match ended with a record-setting feat: I had single-handedly swept away half the participating Players.