After that, there was nothing more to say.
A one-sided battle unfolded. The rearguard defense line collapsed at the hands of a single Flamebearer.
He had to be stopped at all costs.
The Forsaken faction thought so, but they couldn't stop him.
Because if they stopped Han Yuseong, it would only make things easier for Dokrong.
"Crraaaagh!"
"No, stop! The line… it's breaking!"
"Damn it, how are we supposed to stop this?!"
The breath exhaled by Dokrong swept through the frontline defenses.
The monsters of the Shadow faction joined in, intensifying the assault.
The Flamebearers of the Shadow faction who had just arrived also joined, attacking the rear and aiding Han Yuseong.
Surrounded and attacked from both front and back, the Forsaken faction was in a desperate situation.
They could hold out no longer.
["Fools. Pathetic, disgraceful creatures."]
It's falling.
The barrier collapses, the tower is destroyed.
The Forsaken's Flamebearers fall one after another.
The Shadow faction, having broken through them, charges toward the colossus.
["To make me feel such shame..."]
The Forsaken leader, watching the scene unfold, spat out his fury.
This was an unimaginable situation.
Of all people, it was the Oathkeeper of the Forsaken who suffered a ridiculous, humiliating defeat in a war scenario.
Something that couldn't—no, shouldn't—have happened.
What made it even more infuriating was—
["All because they couldn't stop just one of the Shadow..."]
The entire cause of this defeat could be traced to a single person.
A player from the Shadow faction had overturned the outcome.
The Lord of the Forsaken glared at the enemies charging toward the colossus, one they had created to resemble her.
Her gaze locked onto one man in particular, leading the charge at the front.
Fwoooosh!
A violent flame surged.
The man—Han Yuseong—kicked off the ground. Magic power condensed around his sword, and a fierce slash engulfed the colossus.
The Oathkeepers of Shadow followed up with their own attacks.
The colossus, the pride of the Forsaken, was being destroyed.
["That wretched Shadow woman… to think she has someone like him..."]
The Lord of the Forsaken bit her lip as she stared at Han Yuseong.
A mercenary?
No, that couldn't be. She had clearly seen him wielding shadow magic—powerful, high-level shadow magic.
It's not as if only Shadow Oathkeepers can use shadow magic, but with power at that level… it had to be one.
["Then that flame…"]
The outcome of this war scenario had already been decided.
The Lord of the Forsaken no longer saw it as a predetermined loss—Han Yuseong had taken it into his own hands.
The blazing crimson fire rising from his body… there was something strangely familiar about it.
She quickly remembered where she had seen that crimson flame before.
["That war-crazed brat? No, it can't be. With that kind of mid-tier buff, any Flame-related Lord could pull it off."]
There was a lingering possibility, but the Lord of the Forsaken rejected it.
The Lord of War had completely fallen.
Hadn't she suffered crushing defeat after defeat in her wars with Akiros and lost everything she had?
She may have barely clung to life—but that was it.
There's no way that girl could have recruited a player of that caliber.
["I don't know what you are… but you're a man I won't forget."]
The Lord of the Forsaken watched Han Yuseong carefully.
The man who split her colossus in two—she took in every detail of him, from his face to his posture.
It was as if she were engraving him into her mind, making sure not to forget.
["I'll remember you. And someday…"]
The shattered colossus collapsed in vain.
And then, before the Shadow faction players, a message appeared:
[You have destroyed the enemy faction's Colossus.]
[Congratulations! The Shadow faction has won this War Scenario!]
[Additional rewards will be distributed based on contribution...]
Cheers erupted from the players of the Shadow faction.
The Lord of the Forsaken clenched her teeth and turned her gaze away.
["You will pay for this. One way or another—"]
Whether through death,
or by becoming another piece in her undead collection.
Or, perhaps worse than that—she might strip him of everything and turn him into a slave who served her.
With that bitter promise for the future, the Lord of the Forsaken left the scenario.
The war ended in victory for the Shadow faction.
The remaining Oathkeepers of the Forsaken, still alive, cried out in despair at the message that appeared before their eyes.
It was an unbearable situation.
[According to the rules agreed upon by both Lords beforehand, the defeated Forsaken Oathkeepers will now serve as slaves under the Shadow Lord.]
[As promised, the Lord of the Forsaken will empower her slaves accordingly.]
"S–Slaves…? No, please..."
"Please! Just let us become Shadow Oathkeepers instead!"
The Forsaken Oathkeepers begged in desperation.
In most war scenarios, the victorious Lord would absorb the defeated faction's Oathkeepers and offer them a chance to convert.
But the Shadow Lord had high standards.
She only took those she personally approved of as her Oathkeepers.
So rather than take the Forsaken under her wing, she simply made them slaves.
"From the Forsaken's perspective, this was the worst possible outcome."
Becoming a Shadow Oathkeeper would've been far preferable to this.
But whatever the case, it wasn't something Han Yuseong needed to worry about.
He wasn't a Shadow Oathkeeper, and had no reason to concern himself with their internal affairs.
Han Yuseong quietly sheathed his sword.
He could feel the gazes coming from all around him.
They came from the Shadow Oathkeepers and mercenaries alike.
Reverence, awe, respect, and disbelief at something beyond comprehension—those emotions were all mixed together in their eyes.
"Was the Colossus Assault Scenario always over this quickly?"
That unspoken question lingered in everyone's minds.
The Colossus Assault was typically a long, drawn-out war scenario.
The standard strategy involved hunting minions, monsters, and enemy players to accumulate as much gold as possible—
Then using that gold to purchase items, defeat epic monsters, and finally mount an attack on the enemy's base.
"That man took down Dokrong without any major items."
"Then just one more epic monster… and went straight for the core..."
"Is that even possible?"
By all known standards, it shouldn't have been.
And yet, it had unfolded before their very eyes.
As the players celebrated their unexpected victory, they couldn't help but be confused—and that's when Ongaram approached.
"Thank you for your efforts, mercenary… no, Han Yuseong."
"You too. It helped that you brought your forces at the right moment."
"That's good to hear."
Before heading to the base, Han Yuseong had asked her for a favor.
To meet up with Rihardt's forces and convince them to join the base assault—
He'd told her he would destroy the rearguard tower, so they needed to aim for the core.
"Were you able to persuade them?"
"Barely. It wasn't easy. I used the fact that you defeated the epic monster to convince them to at least push up to the enemy base."
Yoon Garam gave a light bow.
"You destroyed the tower. That's what made them realize the time was right to attack the core. So really, it wasn't me who persuaded them—it was you."
"If it weren't for you, it wouldn't have worked at all."
"Is that so? Then I'm glad."
At Han Yuseong's words, Yoon Garam gave a faint smile.
After all, if a commander still couldn't see the opportunity even after watching someone destroy a tower alone, they would be nothing short of a fool.
"It was only possible because several factors overlapped…"
He had monopolized the gold drop from Dokrong.
The boost to his stats from Complete Poison Resistance, which had activated due to lingering venom.
The effects of Halten-ryu Swordsmanship allowing him to ignore enemy defense,
Bonus damage from item effects, reduced enemy defense, extra physical damage against structures.
And finally, the stat boosts granted by Prominence.
All those elements came together to make this result possible.
[Calculating bonus rewards based on contribution...]
[Revealing the player with the highest contribution score.]
Right then, a message appeared. The contribution assessment had concluded.
Everyone already knew the answer.
[Congratulations, Han Yuseong, you achieved the highest contribution score.]
"Of course. Who else would get it if not that guy?"
"Yeah, it's not like we did much ourselves…"
From beginning to end, he had done it all.
It was only natural.
Now, all that remained was the reward.
But then, something unexpected occurred.
[The Shadow Lord wishes to meet you privately to give your reward.]
[Do you accept this invitation?]
Normally, the reward would be given right here and then it would be over.
But the Shadow Lord had made a different choice—an unforeseen request to meet in a separate setting and give the reward personally.
If it were another Oathkeeper, that might make sense.
But making such an offer to a mere mercenary? Unusual, to say the least.
Which meant…
"Looks like she has something she wants to talk about in private."
[Yeah, it sure seems like it, mmgh... Strange...]
'Even Mamu seems to have picked up on it.'
There was no need to speculate too hard about what she wanted to discuss.
He'd find out soon enough when they met in person.
Truthfully, he had a vague idea already.
"I'll accept."
Han Yuseong agreed to the proposal.
And with that, the bodies of the remaining players began to vanish.
The scenario was ending, and they were returning to where they had originally logged in.
[You have accepted the Shadow Lord's invitation.]
[You will be transferred to
Everyone disappeared—except for Han Yuseong.
He closed his eyes.
And when he opened his eyes again—
"Dark."
A place cloaked entirely in shadow greeted him.
It was so dark that he could barely distinguish his surroundings.
And in that darkness, a pair of eyes appeared.
Sssssss—
Eyes seemingly woven from pure shadow.
Cold, emotionless eyes that stared directly—piercingly—at Han Yuseong.
Without a single word, for a long time,
those eyes simply observed him.
["Interesting."]
That was the first word that broke the prolonged silence.
A message appeared, but this time, a voice followed it—unlike before.
Despite saying it was "interesting," the voice carried no emotion.
It was chillingly flat and mechanical.
["I've been watching you. From the moment you sparred with my Oathkeeper… to when you used the shadows to massacre your enemies."]
"Did it please you?"
["It was impressive. Impressive enough that I even considered making you my Oathkeeper."]
Silence fell again—
And in that silence, a powerful pressure descended.
It was an overwhelming presence—so intense that an ordinary player would've collapsed under it.
["Your performance was so extraordinary… that even the Lord of the Forsaken could be forgiven for mistaking you as one of mine. Remarkable, mysterious mercenary."]
Han Yuseong remained silent.
He had anticipated this situation even before being brought here.
And as expected, the Shadow Lord had clearly caught on.
["That is why I summoned you here. I wanted to observe you from up close—to confirm what kind of being you are."]
"So, what exactly did you want to confirm?"
["Whether you are..."]
The shadows stirred.
They moved as if alive, slithering closer toward Han Yuseong.
The darkness reached his feet, brushing lightly against his leg.
["Whether you are the instigator of the incident in Yeoju... or not."]
The shadow began to climb up his leg.
Han Yuseong smiled faintly and asked:
"And? Did you confirm it?"
["Halfway. As for the other half—I'd like to ask you directly."]
The shadow, now risen to his neck, morphed into a blade-like shape, hovering at his throat.
It gave off a chilling aura—as though it could slice him open the moment she didn't like his answer.
["The massacre that took place in Yeoju. One night, a mysterious figure—presumed to be a Shadow Oathkeeper—killed a large number of Forsaken Oathkeepers and disappeared without a trace."]
["Was that you? Were you the mastermind behind that incident?"]
And yet—
The faint smile never left Han Yuseong's face.
He nodded slowly, calmly.
"Just as you suspected—yes, it was me."
["Then, I must ask again—why did you come here? Surely you anticipated this situation. Ignoring or denying it might have been the easier path for someone like you."]
"First, because I knew I couldn't hide it forever. And second…"
Han Yuseong locked eyes with the Shadow Lord's gaze.
"I came to take responsibility."
["Responsibility…"]
Upon hearing that answer, something shifted in the Shadow Lord's eyes.
Eyes that had shown no emotion and hadn't moved at all until now suddenly widened.
It was as if she'd heard something she hadn't anticipated at all.
She fell silent for a long time.
And then—
Sssrrrk…
The shadow wrapped around Han Yuseong's throat dissipated.
Perhaps it was just his imagination—but her gaze seemed gentler now, softened.
["Tell me. On that night… What exactly happened in Yeoju?"]