The group exchanged silent glances and all eyes soon turned to Saito.

“I just slept well,” he said.

[So, how well did you sleep? There wasn’t any kind of attack?]

“I don’t remember.”

[Excuse me? It wasn’t a hundred years ago. It was last night! How can you not remember?]

“I... I have no recollection,” he replied flatly.

Good. I like his answers, Eun-Ho thought.

Sarah closed her mouth. The faint smile that had been playing on her lips twitched, and a thin vein surfaced on her forehead. She seemed genuinely irritated.

“What’s up with that hostess? Do you think she knows?” Ji-Eun asked quietly.

“Who knows,” Eun-Ho replied with a shrug. “At least it seems like she doesn’t know it was us. If she did, she’d be grilling me instead of him.”

Just then, Sarah’s gaze shifted toward them, or more precisely, toward Yul. The girl was fast asleep on Han-Wool’s back, breathing softly. Her mouth was slightly open.

[And our little lady here seems to be dozing off, huh?]

After chasing demons all night, Yul was likely exhausted. Of course, Han-Wool couldn’t say that, and just smiled awkwardly.

Hmm?

Something caught Eun-Ho’s eye in the corner of his vision. Wei was staring intently at Yul, who was being gently swayed by Han-Wool.

That expression...

Even when he had tried to crush people using the Go stones, Wei had been expressionless. Even when he lost a match, he’d shown no emotion. Even when he was trapped between the board and the wall, he’d kept the same blank look.

However, now, for the first time, his face betrayed feeling. Eun-Ho caught his frown and tightly pressed lips. Besides, the instant their eyes met, he jerked his head away.

“That kid doesn’t look too happy,” Ji-Eun muttered.

“Yeah,” Eun-Ho agreed. “I see it too.”

No one knew what had upset the boy genius with an IQ of 200, but that curiosity soon vanished.

[Alright, everyone! Time’s up!]

[It’s time to announce the final trial!]

They barely had time to think about themselves.

[The final trial is the grand Siege Warfare!]

[Woohoo! You’re all excited, right?]

“A siege?” one of them asked. “So are we defending a fortress?”

“Probably both defending and capturing,” another guessed.

[In a moment, each district will receive its own fortress.]

[The time limit is three hours.]

[When the time’s up, the number of fortresses you occupy will determine your rank!]

“So is it another team battle today?”

“Most likely. It seems like we’ll have to cooperate again.”

Several people sighed quietly in disappointment. After all, even if their team won, some didn’t think they’d rank high individually.

[Oh, no no! That’d be boring, right?]

Sarah’s smile returned as if her irritation had never existed.

[This time, everyone will receive additional Training Points!]

[But only according to how much you contribute to the siege!]

[So if you want a lot of points, you’d better work hard, right?]

“How much we contribute?”

“But how are they even calculating that?”

[Attackers, defenders, and support types... Everyone counts!]

[And when it’s over, each of you will be graded individually as well!]

[Sounds fun, doesn’t it?]

Training Points and individual grades sounded nice, but that meant they had to pay attention to more things.

“Damn it! So we’ve got to make the team win and score high individually?!” Swear-Master shouted.

[Exactly! Which means you’ll need a solid strategy.]

[Remember! Just because your team wins doesn’t mean you do. And even if your team loses, that doesn’t mean you lose either!]

“... What a load of crap.”

With that final curse, silence fell. Everyone’s faces tightened, heavy with mixed feelings.

[Let the siege warfare begin!]

Rumble—!

A fortress rose from the ground before them, the stronghold they would have to defend and conquer.

[The Newbie from the Bureau of Corporate Relations sparkles with excitement, saying they have been waiting for the Siege the most!]

[The Druid from the Bureau of Investigation murmurs nostalgically, saying it brings back memories of the old days.]

[The Old Guy from the Sales Department boasts that if they were participating, they would have conquered everything the moment it started.]

[A number of observers express anticipation for your tactical performance!]

Amid thunderous cheers, a massive medieval fortress rose, large enough to fill the entire space of Jamsil Main Stadium. At the top of the central tower, a flag bearing the letters ROK fluttered in the wind.

“Holy crap, why is it so huge?” someone exclaimed.

“This is supposed to be a fortress? It’s not quite what I imagined...” another said uncertainly.

It wasn’t a fairytale castle with elegant spires and shining walls. The ramparts were so tall they could not even be taken in at a glance. Square stone walls stood solidly, each corner reinforced with round towers, and another at the center.

However, the real problem lay elsewhere. The walls were studded with uneven, jutting blocks, as if daring people to climb them.

“So... Are we supposed to use those to climb up?” Ji-Eun asked.

“They designed this to make us fight like dogs,” Eun-Ho replied dryly.

That way, it’d be more entertaining for them.

[You have three hours!]

[If you occupy the magic circle at the top of the central tower for ten seconds, ownership of the fortress will change hands. When time runs out, your ranking will be determined by the number of fortresses your district controls.]

“That tower in the middle with the flag on top, that’s the central one, right?”

A few participants, fascinated, reached out to touch the stone walls and the massive iron gate.

“We don’t have time to admire it! Everyone, help open the gate!”

“Ah, yes Hyungnim!” came the hurried reply from Jae-Hyuk.

There was no time to waste.

[The countdown starts now!]

[02:59:59]

The timer began its steady descent.

“There should be a way up to the top of the fortress. Find it!” Eun-Ho shouted.

“Over here! There’s a ladder!” came the answer.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

They scrambled up quickly, boots clanging against the rungs. At the top, rows of cannons stretched in perfect formation along the square and rectangular walls.

Cannons were set at precise intervals, and stone footholds were embedded in different sections.

Eun-Ho’s sharp eyes swept over every detail before he gave his first order. “Twenty people!”

“What?” someone asked.

“Assign twenty people to each side to take charge of the cannons! Twenty on each of the north, south, east, and west side!”

The distance between each cannon was roughly five meters. If twenty stood in a line, there would still be gaps between them.

“Those who handled long-range attacks yesterday! Where are you guys?”

Ji-Eun, the blond tattooist, and the couple who had been firing arrows from Namsan Tower all raised their hands.

“Here!”

“I’m here!”

There were seventeen in total.

“Good. Split up! Four people per direction. Your job is to keep enemies from scaling the walls.”

“Got it!”

Eun-Ho held Ji-Eun back to give her additional instructions. “Oh wait. Ji-Eun, wait a second.”

However, before he could continue, a beastlike roar rolled toward them. Hundreds of enemies were charging as one.

“T-they’re coming! Look over there!”

“Damn it, why are all of them heading this way?!”

“They look like they’ve been waiting for this!”

Ding!

Then, a message appeared in midair.

[Subject Wei’s Grand Match has been activated!]

“A Grand Match? Again?!”

“Hey look! Go stones are falling!”

“Huh? But it’s not toward us?”

Swoosh—

A black Go stone, pinched delicately between Wei’s index and middle fingers, dropped to the ground, one at a time.

Thud! Thud!

One then another.

“What the hell? Why’s he placing them like that?”

“There’s no one over there...”

“Shit, what’s that little brat scheming this time?”

Along the outer edge of the fortress walls, the stones began to line up one after another, perfectly spaced.

“I think he’s trying to surround the entire fortress,” someone reported urgently.

“What? Why would they bother doing that?” another asked in disbelief.

Black stones stretched outward in a perfect line, as if building a cage around them.

No way...

Eun-Ho exhaled sharply. Now he understood. He finally grasped what that boy’s ability really was.

“He’s building territory,” Eun-Ho said quietly.

“Territory? What do you mean?”

Territory. The very heart of Go.

[Go Player Wei has initiated Territory Construction!]

[The completion rate is 6%, 7%]

“What the hell? Is it really happening?”

“That Go ability is completely broken!”

In Go, whether black or white, one captured territory by cutting off their opponent’s liberties, trapping their stones so they couldn’t escape. Once the space was sealed, the area inside became their home—their captured territory. Besides, when that happened, any opposing stones caught within it were taken.

“So if we get surrounded on all sides, it’s game over,” Eun-Ho said grimly.

“Wait. Then are we the white stones right now?” Ji-Woong asked, his face looking pale.

“Probably,” Eun-Ho replied.

[Go Player Wei continues Territory Construction!]

[The completion rate is 9%, 10%]

“T-then what happens to the white stones surrounded by black ones?” Ji-Woong asked in a trembling voice, gulping.

In fact, fear showed on every face around them. An ability they couldn’t even begin to comprehend alone made it terrifying. However, Eun-Ho wasn’t shaken.

“Nineteen lines,” Eun-Ho murmured.

“Sorry?” Ji-Woong blinked.

So far, every one of Wei’s skills had followed the strict rules of Go. If that was true, then immense power came with equally strict limits.

“The Go board, it’s nineteen lines across,” Eun-Ho said.

“Huh? So what?”

“That means the Chinese side is empty because he’s unfolding the board here, on our side.”

Ji-Woong’s eyes widened. “Wait you mean—”

Eun-Ho gave him a firm nod, then climbed up onto the fortress wall. He shouted to their own disoriented allies inside the walls, “Everyone, listen up!”

[Your Leadership(Lv. 2) skill has been activated!]

[The survivor group awaits your command!]

“This trial isn’t just about defending!” Eun-Ho declared.

“Then what do we do? We have to stop those Go stones, don’t we?” someone shouted back.

“We’ll split into three groups! The first unit will be in charge of wall defense! The second unit in charge of gate defense! And the third unit, working as the attack team!”

[The survivor group trusts the representative’s strategy!]

[Current loyalty: 65%]

“Anyone with Strength over twenty, go to the gate defense team! Defense team, your first priority is destroying those Go stones, second is stopping incoming enemies!”

“Well, it’s time to use some muscle. Let’s go!”

In the chaos of battle, even two thousand soldiers could easily lose coordination. Hence why clear roles were absolutely necessary.

[The survivor group follows the tactics of their experienced leader!]

[Current loyalty: 70%]

“Bo-Ra! Get up on the wall,” Eun-Ho ordered. “Push those black stones back as far as you can, or destroy them if possible.”

“Got it, Oppa!”

“Everyone on wall defense, follow Yeon Bo-Ra’s command!”

Then, turning to the last group, Eun-Ho said, “The rest of you, you’re coming with me. We’re going to conquer the fortress!”

“Understood!”

He quickly picked out those who would join the assault team, then scanned the remaining defenders, each ready to hold their ground.

Finally, his eyes found one man. “Park Gong-Chan.”

He was a reliable man, the one who could protect the ground beneath them.

“I’m leaving this place to you,” Eun-Ho said.

“Don’t worry,” Gong-Chan replied with a smirk. “I won’t let even a soccer ball get through.”

With that, Eun-Ho leaped straight onto the Go board drawn by the prodigy’s hand, toward the game-shaped battlefield.

***

“There! Wei’s up there!” Ji-Eun said, pointing toward the top floor of the central tower.

Thanks to Yul’s stealth ability, their group remained hidden, but Ji-Eun still kept her voice low, wary of being overheard.

“There’s no other entrance,” Eun-Ho replied. “We’ll have to go in through that window.”

“B-but, Hyungnim!” Jae-Hyuk stammered. “If we go in there, we’ll be showered with attacks!”

Through the massive window, Eun-Ho could see that the interior of the central tower was crowded and heavily guarded.

Twenty-two bodyguards, Eun-Ho counted silently.

Every single one of the elite guards, who had appeared throughout previous trials, was stationed inside. Therefore, Wei had gathered his best to protect himself, while the rest were deployed to hold the walls or assault other fortresses.

Alright then. It’s time for the new skill.

“Activate the Third Eye,” Eun-Ho murmured.

[The Third Eye has been activated!]

Immediately, a sharp sting flared across his eyelids. He winced involuntarily, the world around him dimmed to black. Then with a flash, light returned. It felt as though a hidden eyelid had opened somewhere within him, revealing color and light anew, except for one figure glowing faintly in blue.

This is...!

A soft azure radiance emanated from Wei. Then a blue screen appeared in front of his face.

[Go Player: Wang Wei]

- Grand Match(Lv. 17)

- Territory Construction(Lv. 9)

The Grand Match and Territory Construction... That’s exactly what I’ve guessed. Then let’s check the ones beside him.

Fwoosh.

... Huh?

His gaze fell on the man who always stood next to Wei like a silent shadow—a bodyguard, or so he’d thought.

He had that kind of ability? No wait. Did such an ability even exist?

[Swordsman: Sun Ming]

- Intermediate Swordsmanship(Lv. 2)

- Sword Aura(Lv. 4)

- Sword Force(Lv.1)

“Sword Force...” Eun-Ho muttered under his breath.

Even from the name alone, he could picture what Sword Aura and Sword Force meant. They had to be something deadly and sharp enough to cleave through steel.

He clicked his tongue quietly, and the others immediately reacted.

“Huh? Did you say Sword Force, Young Man?” the security guard asked, startled.

“W-wait! Does that mean we have to fight someone with a lightsaber?!”

“Lightsaber? Come on, that can’t be real,” Ji-Eun said, frowning.

Even Yul, startled by their exchange, blinked her large eyes in confusion. “Huuuh?” 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

“They’re total monsters...” Ji-Eun breathed.

Monsters, Eun-Ho thought. Yes, they are. But that doesn’t matter.

“It’s meaningless,” Eun-Ho said calmly.

“What do you mean by that?” the security guard asked.

“I’ve already analyzed everything.”

Eun-Ho had seen it all, including their hidden stats, their secrets, and even things Wei’s own men didn’t know. Above all, whether Sword Force or not, Eun-Ho wasn’t about to let them so much as cut a single strand of his hair.

“Our side,” he said with a faint smile, “is the real monster.”

“Ah.”

“Let’s get going,” he ordered.