HACKED 95

Until now, the concept of ‘Invasion’ in <No Lifer> was largely useless.

‘Invasion’ and ‘First Strike’ are different. ‘First Strike’ is a matter of who attacks first in each individual battle. To use a dungeon as an analogy, even in the same dungeon, you could succeed in a First Strike in the first room, fail in the second, and succeed again in the last room.

‘Invasion’ is a matter of the battlefield itself, not each individual combat. It is important to determine whose base is being stormed by whom. No matter how many times a battle occurs within it, or who takes the first or second turn, the Invader and the Invaded do not change.

As with most character-collection mobile games, almost all battles in <No Lifer> consist of Incarnations invading maps where monsters reside. Therefore, the ‘Invader’ trait is naturally attached to the player’s side.

Rarely, there are maps with a ‘Neutral Zone’ character. These are mainly maps released as limited-time events unrelated to the main story. In these cases, since the battlefield is nobody’s home base, the side that deals the very first strike becomes the Invading side.

In this situation, most players opt for a First Strike. Since every bit of currency spent on recovery is precious, no one voluntarily wants to get hit first without a particular reason.

Even if there are skills like the twins’ ‘Unbreakable Resolve’ that grant bonuses when allies are invaded, the situation does not change much.

A bonus is, after all, just a bonus. Rather than giving up the First Strike for free just to receive a 15% bonus applied to only one Incarnation, it is better to hit the enemy even one more time during that interval.

Furthermore, the options for ‘Unbreakable Resolve’ have overlapping conditions. The enemy must first be of ‘Japanese Origin’ to receive a 15% bonus to attack power, and as an AND condition, the enemy must be the ‘Invader’ to receive an additional 15%. The probability of satisfying all of this is abysmal itself.

Consequently, the option that gives a bonus only ‘when invaded’ was treated among users as practically having no option at all. <UserMyeong808> thought so as well.

Until the concept of ‘Dimensional Merger’ appeared.

“Ugh!”

The Silver Grass Flower barely blocked the twins’ sword strike with his bamboo spear. His arms trembled violently. A large X-shaped sword mark was carved into the surface of the bamboo spear.

“These brats are being a nuisance again!”

The S-Class Hunter joined in. However, the twins prioritized targeting the Silver Grass Flower. Even though it would be more rational to deal with the stronger S-Class Hunter first, they doggedly attacked the Silver Grass Flower even while sustaining severe wounds to their limbs.

Under their momentum, the Silver Grass Flower began to be pushed back helplessly.

However, it wasn’t only bad things happening to the S-Class Hunter’s group. With the death of <The Hunter Hunted by Divine Punishment>, the conditions for the formation bonus were met once again.

[The activation condition for the formation bonus, ‘All unit members possessing the Hunter trait,’ has been met.]

[The formation bonus ‘Hunter’s Pride’ is activated.]

While watching for a gap from behind, the Myeong-shooter suddenly realized it. Vitality was returning to his exhausted body. The timing for a counterattack was right now.

He pulled the trigger with all his might and fired the crossbow. A bolt was launched with a sound that tore through the air. At the end of its path were the twins engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the Silver Grass Flower.

Clang!

However, the bolt did not reach the twins. Another arrow fired midway struck the bolt from the side, twisting its flight trajectory. It was archery skills at a level far beyond human.

“Was there a shooter on that side too!”

He quickly estimated the position from which the arrow had flown. Within each other’s range. He had to counterattack immediately.

A bow has weaker power compared to a crossbow and requires arduous training to master. In exchange, it has a longer range and a wider breadth of aiming angles.

And the decisive advantage. The firing speed is fast.

The Myeong-shooter briefly set the crossbow down vertically to load a second bolt. While fixing the bottom of the crossbow with his foot, he brought a new bolt and inserted it. It was a skillful and fast hand movement, not unworthy of the name Myeong-shooter.

But, even so…

It could not be faster than the reload speed of a bow, which ends with just nocking an arrow to the string.

Passive Skill: ‘Serving the King with Loyalty (事君以忠)’

: One must serve the king with loyalty.

Cannot take any being other than the Compiler as an object of loyalty.

Passive Skill: ‘Serving Parents with Filial Piety (事親以孝)’

: One must serve parents with filial piety.

If the Compiler’s instructions align with morality and ethics, one cannot resist those instructions.

Passive Skill: ‘Making Friends with Trust (交友以信)’

: One must make friends with trust.

Cannot be organized into the same unit as an Incarnation possessing a trait that is polar opposite to oneself.

Passive Skill: ‘No Retreat in Battle (臨戰無退)’

: There must be no retreating when going out to fight.

Cannot voluntarily withdraw from a battle once participated in.

Passive Skill: ‘Discrimination in Taking Life (殺生有擇)’

: There must be discernment when killing living things.

Cannot kill an opponent who does not harbor murderous intent toward oneself.

[Activation conditions for Passive Skill ‘Serving the King with Loyalty (事君以忠)’ met!]

[Activation conditions for Passive Skill ‘Serving Parents with Filial Piety (事親以孝)’ met!]

[Activation conditions for Passive Skill ‘Making Friends with Trust (交友以信)’ met!]

[Activation conditions for Passive Skill ‘No Retreat in Battle (臨戰無退)’ met!]

[Activation conditions for Passive Skill ‘Discrimination in Taking Life (殺生有擇)’ met!]

[Hidden Passive Skill ‘Five Commandments for Secular Life (世俗五戒)’ is activated.]

During the skill activation: Attack Power +55%, Defense Power +55%, Morale +55%

The attack power bonus from ‘Winds and Frost Unchanging’ acted as an additive calculation, and the attack power bonus received from ‘Five Commandments for Secular Life’ acted as a multiplicative calculation.

The duration of ‘Five Commandments for Secular Life’ is very short. He had to end it with this one shot, just this one shot.

Hwarang pulled the bowstring while submerged in darkness.

Creak.

The sound of the string being pulled to its limit was heard. Ghost fire flared up in one of his eyes.

An arrow filled with sharpness and murderous intent left the string.

Even before the arrow reached its destination—precisely, as soon as he let go of the string—Hwarang instinctively knew. The result his sniping would produce.

Thud!

[<The Myeong-shooter Who Hit the Apple on Top of the Head> has died and returned to a fragment of the narrative.]

“…Ah.”

A beat late, the sensation of victory wrapped around his fingertips.

It was thrilling enough to be ecstatic.

˙✧˖°🎮 ⋆｡˚

Active Skill: ‘Joong-Seok-Mol-Chok (中石沒鏃)’

: If one focuses their mind into one, is there anything that cannot be achieved (精神一到何事不成).

As long as the caster perceives the target as a ‘Tiger,’ this attack never misses.

<Chakho Gapsa> pulled the string of his wooden bow to the fullest. A sharp wind swirled around the arrow nocked on the string. It was the unique effect of ‘Joong-Seok-Mol-Chok.’

‘Joong-Seok-Mol-Chok’ never misses as long as <Chakho Gapsa> perceives the target as a ‘Tiger.’ Even if the target is not actually a tiger, but a person, an object, or even an empty void… if <Chakho Gapsa> believes it to be a tiger, the attack will surely hit.

San Gun was at the end where the arrowhead imbued with a gale was pointing. He wiped the blood off his blade onto his sleeve carelessly. Even though he had sustained numerous injuries from the fierce battle, and even though an arrow was aimed right at the center of his chest, he showed no sign of being exhausted or intimidated.

“To be old means to have survived, and to have survived means to be strong…”

San Gun murmured softly. <Chakho Gapsa> barked without breaking his aim.

“Silence. Are you planning to bewitch me with your wicked words!”

San Gun gave a smirk while gripping his sword properly.

“What, are you moved by my wise words? Be moved even more.”

“Your tongue is uselessly long. How dare you, a mere tiger!”

“But you see, old man. When people get old, they just get uselessly stubborn. Insisting they are right even when anyone can see they are wrong.”

“What?”

“Think carefully. Whether what you are thinking right now is correct.”

<Chakho Gapsa> desperately ignored those words. He maintained his composure until the very end while steadying his mind.

That thing is a beast, not a human. One must let the wicked words it whispers go in one ear and out the other.

Beasts that have lived for over a thousand years and reached the level of spiritual beings are experts at deluding people with a few words. If one is carelessly bewitched, they will lose their life in the blink of an eye.

‘If I just land this attack properly, that tiger dies. So, if I just do well this time…!’

He believed in himself. Finally, the arrow left the string.

“Cough!”

The arrow mercilessly pierced the chest of the target. It was as expected.

‘I hit it.’

<Chakho Gapsa> clenched his fist without realizing it. Joy spread through him.

However…

“You, fuck. You crazy old man, have you gone senile…”

The opponent staggering with an arrow lodged in his chest was… not San Gun, but the S-Class Hunter.