Chapter 31: Solo Play is Possible (2)

As the enemy team advanced for their final assault, Lee Kyungbok hid himself in some bushes near their base.

-LMAO finally on the move

-Gotta push these bastards back quick

-Waiting around has dried up all our creeps LOL

Xenocide: Purple

The viewers realized that the moment they had been waiting for was at hand. To prepare for this, Lee Kyungbok had diligently farmed gold by hunting jungle mobs and silently upgraded his items while traveling between the spawn point and the jungle.

However, he wasn’t rushing things now.

“If you could just hang tight a little longer, I’ll join once the battle progresses further.”

He wanted to wait until the opposing champions were weakened from the fight. The audience readily agreed with his decision.

Ahh, such cool and calculated gameplay.

After enduring endless oppression…

—It’s time for Full Build Yami to shine!

—Ooh, #18! Ready to taste defeat?

—What teamwork? Ha-ha-ha-ha!

As soon as the battle at their base reached its climax, Lee Kyungbok made his move. He charged straight toward the enemy team’s temple alone—the beginning of what is known as a backdoor strategy.

—I’ve been waiting for this moment!

—Take my accumulated wrath from these past ten thousand years!

—Yali dayli yali da!

—Oh ha-ha, he’s going! Finally, here we go!

Under normal circumstances, this would be considered suicidal. Not only was there a tower guarding the temple itself, but another one also protected the outer perimeter. Despite equipping items that boosted stamina, Yami started with too little health by default. This meant it could withstand two attacks at most, or three if lucky.

However, Lee Kyungbok didn’t opt for any stamina-enhancing items. Nor did he choose anything to increase his defense. There was only one option for him:

—Extreme damage Yami, attack!

—Pushpushpush basepush!

—Bus? This is a tank, you bastards!

Damage dealing. Lee Kyungbok equipped himself solely with items that increased his offensive power while ignoring defense altogether. It seemed like an absurd choice, as it meant one hit from a tower would leave him on the brink of death. Everyone knew this, yet Lee Kyungbok persisted with his strategy.

I just won’t get hit.

He had full confidence in this approach. As threats intensified, his senses became sharper and his instincts stronger. Relying on these innate talents, he staked everything on evading attacks.

And he was confident of winning this gamble.

-LMAO! My balls are shrinking!

-One graze and you’re dead!

-I’m sweating profusely…

-Scaryyyyy…so close!!

-Minions incoming!

As soon as Lee Kyungbok entered the area, the towers began their counterattack. Bullets of light streaked toward him at blinding speed, but Lee Kyungbok successfully evaded them by a hair’s breadth.

I can see everything.

He could predict all their trajectories. Not just those from the towers, but it felt like his perception extended to every movement within this region.

They’re only targeting the temple…!

Lee Kyungbok didn’t intend to waste any time. The sole condition for victory was destroying the “temple.” It didn’t matter if the outer towers remained intact.

I can do this.

Minions brandished their weapons at him while towers on both sides began firing relentlessly. Despite the increasing threats targeting him, Lee Kyungbok grew more confident with each passing moment.

“I’ll start with these outer towers.”

He didn’t care about them, but he needed to destroy these two first before taking down the temple they guarded.

Lee Kyungbok charged toward the towers, wielding his katanas in both hands.

–Klang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

–How fast is that tower melting?

–Is Yami holding katana blades?

–Purple’s speed is insane because of those items.

–It’s crumbling! Crumbling! Crumbling! Crumbling!

Generally speaking, a champion’s speed matched its player’s speed. Some items could increase velocity, but Lee Kyungbok preferred gear that boosted damage output exclusively.

His physical speed was sufficient to compensate for any lack of agility. This wouldn’t have been possible in the Legend League but could be achieved due to Mystic being set within virtual reality.

It took less than a minute for both towers to vanish completely. As a result, Lee Kyungbok’s chat room exploded with excitement.

-Get in here! He crushed them! Awesome job!

-I can’t believe my eyes even though I’m watching it happen right now L

-Full gear is perfect, huh? They stand no chance LOLLLL

-Omg, what a pathetic welcome party LOL

-Unlock the doors! Yami’s coming through!

-Is this Mystical? Is this really Mystical?!?!

-This proves Purple is on another level.

“It’s not five humans but one god and four trash bags!”

“Mr. Zirobo…you were wrong…”

“The back door was supposed to be a gateway for nuclear bombs! ᄏᄏᄏᄏᄏ”

All that remained now was the temple. With the tower destroyed, its protective barrier dissipated, leaving it vulnerable. Soon after, lights began swirling around the temple, although this wasn’t due to the destruction of the tower.

“We’re retreating!”

“Ha-ha-ha! Got quite a shock from the back door, didn’t you?”

“Can’t handle this, huh? Ha-ha-ha.”

“I went out thinking there’d been some explosion at our neighbor’s house ^^”

“But when I got home, my place had collapsed instead. Huhuhu.”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

The champions who had been engaged in 1v1 battles hastily opened portals back to their bases.

While most viewers weren’t too concerned, those familiar with Mystic’s gameplay had a different take on the situation.

-How is this happening?!

-I can’t believe they let them escape!

-This could be bad…

-Damn… Those idiots didn’t even try to block their return portals.

-I thought I was calling them trolls, but turns out it was self-deprecating humor.

-Omg, we were so close to winning!

No one knew how many enemies would return, but there was a possibility that while Lee Kyungbok was detained, his base might get destroyed.

In which case…!

Lee Kyungbok’s eyes narrowed sharply as he spun around immediately.

-Well, this just got tricky.

-Tsk… We almost won, though.

-Can you do another back door?

-Seems like we’re gonna defend the universe

-If we all gang up on him, there’s still a chance of victory

-With those trash players? No way…

-I’d rather lose than watch them bumbling around with that garbage.

It felt like someone had poured ashes over their perfectly cooked meal. The viewers couldn’t hide their disappointment—until they saw who had returned to Lee Kyungbok’s base.

-Huh?!

-Whaaaaat?!?!

-Rocket delivery for real?!

-When you don’t have team luck, at least you can count on this kind of luck!

-Yeah, exactly!

The respawn location was randomized, so it was purely coincidental that an enemy champion appeared before Lee Kyungbok.

“Huh? Ow!”

Even the most skilled player needed time to adjust after respawning due to the sudden change in scenery and blinding visual effects from the light beams.

Lee Kyungbok seized the opportunity without hesitation.

[Perfect Play: Dynamic Labor]

–Nice, that’s one down!

–But there’s still a chance for a king move!

–The opponent seems to have let their guard down while focusing on the 1v1 fight. LOL

–They’re clueless!

Having just returned during a clash, the opposing champion was low on both HP and magic power. As soon as Lee Kyungbok took out his first target, he immediately moved onto the next.

“Aaargh!” And another champion met its demise.

[Perfect Play: Diamond Awarded]

[Double Kill!]

–Huh? Another kill?

–What? What is this?!

–Got ’em again?

–Is he predicting their moves?

–Does he know where they’ll respawn?

–WTF…? What the hell is going on?

–Did Mystic get nuked?

–Purple has some good players, but it wasn’t them this time.

–LOL what’re you talking about?

Question marks flooded the chat window due to yet another champion reappearing right in front of Lee Kyungbok.

What were the odds of this happening? It couldn’t be mere coincidence.

I can sense it.

The opposing champion posed a far greater threat than any minions squirming around him. Lee Kyungbok’s instincts wouldn’t miss such danger approaching, allowing him to detect their return positions ahead of time.

“Oh my God…!”

“Catch them!”

“They’re circling back!”

Kyungbok couldn’t deal with each incoming champion immediately, but he could still take preemptive action.

“What…?!”

He quickly formed hand seals aimed at the three champions, causing roots to burst from the ground and entangle them.

-LMAO LMAO

-Rootsplay ᄒㄷㄷㄷ

-Play ᄋㅈㄹ hahahaha

-You… think that’s possible?

LMAO, is he seriously gonna take them all down here?!

Although their chat messages expressed doubt, deep down, they believed it was possible for Purple—Lee Kyungbok—to accomplish this feat. His performance thus far had exceeded expectations and given them hope.

And Lee Kyungbok himself…

“I’m going to finish them off right now.”

He never failed to meet his audience’s expectations.

[Perfect play, nailing it!]

[Triple kill!]

One of the champions turned to light before they could even free themselves from the roots.

“Stun! Stuuuuun!”

[No perfect play? GTFO.]

[Quadra kill!]

The player hastily issuing commands swung its weapon but ultimately fell lifeless.

As for the last champion…

“Oh, shit… This isn’t good.”

It quickly accepted reality as it perished under the combined assault of the earth giant’s fist and Lee Kyungbok’s katana.

[Perfect Play: Temple Bomber]

[PENTAKILL!]

Having swiftly dispatched all enemies, Lee Kyungbok wasted no time and immediately started demolishing the temple. Its health drained rapidly like a depleted battery. The outcome was already decided.

Everyone knew it to be true.

-LMAO! I’m deaddddd!

-Yami: So who’s the troll now?

-LOLLLLLLL Is this for real?!

-Seriously, bringing in a ninja is so cowardly!

-LOL Yami’s gonna explode from rage now.

-Don’t play as Yami unless you’re perfect, please!

-LOL No more ranked games for me for a while.

-KUHA! KUHA! KUHA! KUHA!

The chat window exploded with excitement.

[Enemy temple destroyed.]

[Victory!]

And then came the system announcement confirming their win.

[Quest successful!]

[Agent Q has sponsored you 1,000,000 won!]

The sponsorships reached their peak with the quest completion notification.

-Is this supposed to be a team game? Is this supposed to be a team game? Is this supposed to be a team game? Is this supposed to be a team game?

-El oh el why did it become 5 vs. 5? El oh el why did it become 5 vs. 5? El oh el why did it become 5 vs. 5?

-T-Team (unnecessary) Game lololololol

-He completely turned the battlefield upside down! He completely turned the battlefield upside down!

-Praise Purple! Praise Purple! Praise Purple!

-We live in the age of Purple! We live in the age of Purple!

-Purple is the new meta! Purple is the new meta!

-Ah, lol, so is this what they mean by metaverse?

-What does defeat even mean anymore? What does defeat even mean anymore?

-Mystic Dor award winner confirmed! Mystic Dor award winner confirmed!

Lee Kyungbok could only smile at these reactions.

Choi Byunghoon exclaimed as he watched Lee Kyungbok’s gameplay unfold on screen.

“Wow! Overtime tonight!” He let out a joyful shout, convinced that what he was witnessing would go down in history.

This needs to be uploaded immediately.

Drawing from his experience as an editor, Choi Byunghoon quickly prioritized tasks. Park Juhho frowned and glared at him from beside.

“Hey.”

“Oh, sorry about that. But seriously, this is insane.” Choi Byunghoon sheepishly patted his friend’s shoulder, but Park Juhho had called out to him for another reason.

“I know, I know. Actually, I got contacted by that streamer, Kyungbok Sung, earlier.”

“What…?” Choi Byunghoon’s eyes widened.

Since Park Juhho had taken on the role of manager, checking business-related emails became part of his duties.

“He said he’d like to meet with you if that’s okay. He’ll work around your schedule and location preference.”

It dawned on Choi Byunghoon then. Not many streamers could sustain their popularity for as long as Kyungbok had. One essential quality required for longevity was having good judgment—specifically, being able to read people well.

He did some digging…!

Kyungbok must have confirmed Lee Kyungbok’s genius himself.