Chapter 112
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Jeju Island, Phaeton Raid - 4
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Lee Hyun-wook was walking through the crimson wind.
The ground he stepped on sizzled and boiled, and the closer he got to the center, the more his feet sank as if into a swamp. Furthermore, the ground began to slope downward, the terrain having been melted away by the circular 'Flare Shield'.
Whoooosh—
It was impossible to even breathe within that storm of heat. This was because everything in the area was burning and boiling, consuming all available oxygen.
'If it weren't for the set effect of Achilles's Armaments, I wouldn't have lasted more than a few seconds.'
Lee Hyun-wook moved forward as quickly as he could.
- Achilles's Armaments Set Effect (2/4) Time Remaining: 18 seconds
He could only endure this for another 18 seconds.
'But even this isn't true invincibility.'
Just like the legend of the hero Achilles, this armament's effect had a flaw. It was obvious, but it couldn't protect his Achilles tendon.
That's why he had focused all his Hardening on his 'Achilles tendon'... but even that was reaching its limit. The immense heat was melting through the Hardening.
'Quickly, I have to get to the center!'
Soon, a section appeared ahead where the red turbulence seemed to lessen slightly.
'There!'
Lee Hyun-wook threw himself toward it,
Vwoom—
The harsh heatwind subsided, revealing tranquil ground.
This was the center of the Flare Shield... as calm as the eye of a storm.
There was still no oxygen, but he could hold out for now.
'There it is.'
The giant of scorching flames, Phaeton, was crouched there, heat visibly gathering and condensing in its chest. It was preparing for the third stage of the Flame Storm.
As if sensing Lee Hyun-wook's intrusion, it slowly opened its eyes.
「To dare enter this place, you must wish to burn to death...」
Though it didn't open its mouth, its voice pierced his mind.
This was a feature designed to exaggerate its godlike presence.
At the same time, a pillar of fire shot down from the ceiling—from the Flare Shield.
But Lee Hyun-wook didn't dodge.
Kra-kooom—!
"Still invincible."
- Achilles's Armaments Set Effect (2/4) Time Remaining: 3 seconds
Lee Hyun-wook summoned Mjolnir, which was inscribed on his right arm, and launched it at the creature.
With a clang—the creature's head reeled back.
'Good, its defense is significantly lowered right now.'
It was already battered from the previous assault, so the damage was landing well.
He summoned the shotgun 'Black Rhino' from the inscription on his left arm, aimed at Phaeton's head, and pulled the trigger repeatedly as he advanced.
Ka-boom—! Ka-boom—!
A series of impacts difficult to withstand, even for a World Boss monster. With each shot, each explosion, pieces of the creature's skin flaked off.
「How dare... how dare... how dare...」
Phaeton repeated the same word as if glitching. Lee Hyun-wook didn't stop, emptying every shell to shatter parts of its head.
Ka-boom—! Ka-boom—!
Soon, the rotation of the Flare Shield began to slow...
Fwoooosh...
...and it unraveled like mere smoke, scattering in all directions.
- <Flame Storm: Stage 3> occurring in this area has been canceled.
"...It's done."
With this, he had at least succeeded in 'canceling' the skill.
At that very moment, someone flew through the dissipating Flare Shield.
"Yes, I've been waiting for this!"
Thwack—!
Han Tae-san. He flew in and slammed a flying knee kick into Phaeton's forehead. The skin, already cracked from the Black Rhino's shots, split wide open with a sharp crack.
"This time, I'll really finish you—!"
A menacing blue Ki began to swirl around Han Tae-san's hands.
"Hup!"
As he thrust both fists forward simultaneously, two streams of Ki intertwined, coiling like a single dragon before enveloping and crushing Phaeton's entire body.
Kra-ka-ka-ka—!
「H-h-h-h-how dare...」
Phaeton began to stutter badly now. The end had come.
"By the way, Mr. Han Tae-san, watch your head."
"...What? What is it this time—!"
Han Tae-san retorted irritably at Lee Hyun-wook's words. It was because every time Lee Hyun-wook had spoken to him so far, something strange had happened...
Whooooosh—!
And this time was no different.
A whistling sound came from high in the sky, growing closer.
It was the greatsword, Mogeley.
Thwack—!
The tip of Mogeley plunged into the crack on the forehead that Lee Hyun-wook had opened and Han Tae-san had split, causing magma to gush out.
'Shockwave—'
Kra-koooom—!
But being a World Boss monster, its head didn't fly off completely. Instead, magma flowed from cracks all over its body, like burst contusions.
"You bastard, trying to suck up contribution points at the last second again—!"
Not to be outdone, Han Tae-san also started unleashing a flurry of punches.
"This time, I won't lose!"
Th-th-th-th-thump—!
A barrage of punches like a machine gun, carving up Phaeton's body like clay.
「How... dare...」
With those last words, the giant of scorching flames, Phaeton, crumbled like a sandcastle.
Finally, when only its head remained, Han Tae-san delivered a downward strike.
Thwump—!
- Congratulations! You have defeated the World Boss monster 'Phaeton, the Giant of Scorching Flames'!
* Rewards for this <Sudden Event> will be distributed differentially based on contribution.
"Hoo..."
Han Tae-san caught his breath and examined the system message floating before his eyes.
- Congratulations! A lucky reward has been given. (2nd Place)
"..."
He silently gritted his teeth.
Second place again... He didn't need to ask who was first.
'Lee Hyun-wook...'
In truth, this was an expected outcome.
While the two of them might have dealt similar damage to the boss monster, it was Lee Hyun-wook who had wiped out the entire legion of death on the runway earlier.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook checked the items he received as the first-place reward.
Two in total.
One was a red crystal, and the other was a gold card.
- You have obtained a Fragment of the Sun (Legendary).
- You have obtained Trait Awakening (Special).
'Fragment of the Sun... This is a Legendary-grade material.'
It was an item with properties similar to the <Salamander's Orb> he had won in a bet with Kodo Koshiro a while ago, and it would be most effective when crafted into an orb.
'This means I can add a fire attribute skill to two items.'
He hadn't used the <Salamander's Orb> on Mogeley yet... but since this one was Legendary-grade, it was logical to use it on a Legendary-grade weapon.
'Hmm, I wonder if it can be applied to Mjolnir?'
It already embodied the lightning attribute; could it also contain the power of the sun?
That was uncharted territory even for Lee Hyun-wook, so it seemed he would have to try it to find out.
But that wasn't all for the rewards.
The reward for the hidden quest he received for having Helios's blessing arrived as well, and it, too, was a Legendary-grade item.
- You have obtained the Core of the Sun Chariot (Legendary).
'With this, I can build another proper airship.'
As Lee Hyun-wook was feeling pleased, Han Tae-san approached him.
"Lee Hyun-wook, you bastard..."
"Mr. Han Tae-san, thanks to you, everything went according to plan. You worked hard."
"...What? Don't make me laugh. I would have finished it on my own even without you."
"Well, that might be true... but I was here."
Right, this was a situation where he could no longer claim it was a 'steal' like before.
If there had been more time, Han Tae-san would have endured the Flame Storm and defeated Phaeton. But the other Players would not have been able to withstand it and would have been sacrificed... This raid was definitely orchestrated by Lee Hyun-wook.
"Hey, this time you used a bunch of weird tricks to create a situation favorable to you, but next time... let's have a real, fair fight."
Unable to swallow his pride, he started making such childish excuses.
"I don't know, I'm not playing a game, I'm conducting a raid."
"What? This bastard, are you—"
"...Using everything you can mobilize, that's what a raid is."
"Who do you think you're lecturing— Ugh!"
He stopped talking due to a sudden headache and clutched his forehead.
But it was at that moment.
Whoooosh—
Prydwen, which had been floating in the sky, began to rapidly descend. At the same time, Yeo Sang-min's voice came through Lee Hyun-wook's Mana Messenger.
- *Kssht*— Master! We've received word that Laputa is under attack!
'Ha, as expected...'
He had anticipated this situation and made preparations.
'Still, I need to get back as soon as possible.'
They must have prepared their forces with determination. No matter how well he'd fortified it, he couldn't afford a leisurely return.
"Um... Mr. Han Tae-san, may I ask you for one favor?"
"What? That again. Now I get on edge whenever you open your mouth, damn it—"
"I know you hate wasting time like this on secluded training, Mr. Han Tae-san. If you grant this favor, I'll get you to Seoul quickly."
Before going to beat up the trespassers on Laputa, he planned to pick up one of the best weapons.
***
"..."
In an underground parking garage, Ki Baek-jun leaned back in his car seat with his eyes closed.
A vein on his temple bulged and throbbed.
"Fuck..."
He muttered the curse under his breath and opened his eyes.
"So, it's been 15 minutes since they were supposed to have entered Laputa, and there's no contact?"
"...Yes, honestly, at this point, we should probably consider it a failure."
said the man in the front passenger seat.
According to the original plan, the Werewolf commandos should have infiltrated Laputa by now and opened a two-way portal for them to enter.
But now, not only was there no two-way portal, there was no contact at all.
"Um... Master, should we just leave this place?"
"No, after coming all this way, where can we go empty-handed?"
"Yes, that's true."
"...From now on, we mobilize everything and break through head-on."
He said, looking out the window.
A truck was parked nearby, filled with Black Orcs.
"Yes, understood. Shall we also mobilize the hostages we prepared in advance?"
"Yes, prepare them too. They'll give us an advantage."
Soon, the garage door opened, and six trucks drove out in a line.
***
After ordering her troops to evacuate civilians and lock down the area, Seo Eun-ha stood beneath the vines, waiting for the Werewolves to fall from the sky.
Clang—!
They were disoriented from the impact of the fall. Even so, they were extremely dangerous beings, so she stepped forward to deal with them one by one.
Stab!
"Hah— that makes fourteen..."
Previously, more than forty Werewolves had climbed the vines.
This meant the rest had managed to reach Laputa.
"It seems there's someone up there, but...”
Currently, no information about Laputa had been made public. The only piece of information, if you could call it that, was the steel fleet that had launched from there a few days ago.
'This time, too, it's definitely related to him, Lee Hyun-wook.'
Lee Hyun-wook, a being who now seemed to exist in a completely different world... Ever since she'd learned of him, his name was tied to every incident.
- *Kssht*— Platoon Leader, a city bus is approaching.
"...A city bus? Why would one come here?"
- Well, it's full of civilians... and damn it, it's not obeying the order to stop!
Seo Eun-ha picked up the shield she had set on the ground and went out toward the road.
Vrooooom—!
On the four-lane road ahead, a city bus could be seen speeding toward them.
"—Stop!"
Despite several warnings through a loudspeaker, it didn't slow down.
"Whoa!"
Just before it crashed into the steel barricade,
Screeeech—!
it finally slammed on the brakes, stopping just in the nick of time.
"What the hell?"
Seo Eun-ha looked inside through her binoculars.
'...The civilians are still inside?'
Fear was clearly visible on their faces.
'Damn it, they're hostages.'
She knew it instantly.
Soon after, six vehicles of unknown affiliation followed in a line.
It was an inconsistent combination of a sedan, an SUV, a delivery truck, and more.
But the beings that emerged from them were...
"Uh! B-Black Orcs!"
A total of 21 Black Orcs and 14 Players.
But for humans to be standing side by side with monsters...
This scene was undoubtedly something that could turn the world upside down.
And what's more...
"Platoon Leader, that man over there is Ki Baek-jun, the head of the Taesan Guild."
At Sergeant Kang Ik-jun's report, Seo Eun-ha's eyebrow twitched.
"What?"
"Over there, by the second SUV."
There, indeed, stood Ki Baek-jun, dressed in a white suit.
'What? Why is the Taesan Guild there?'
The Taesan Guild had recently been implicated in various corruption scandals, but even so, seeing them standing with Black Orcs was deeply shocking.
It was then.
"—Hey, Ki Baek-jun! I knew you'd show your face here!"
An unfamiliar voice rang out from somewhere.
"When your car headed for Gangwon Province, I knew you were pulling a fast one, you punk!"
Several figures emerged from the shadows of a building.
"Yeah, hiding in a hole like a coward isn't something you can do forever, right?"
They were individuals dressed in black clothes and black masks.
"Instead of the great head of the Taesan Guild hiding like a rat, it's better to just come out and say, 'I'm a traitorous terrorist who's buddy-buddy with Black Orcs, so come and get me!' right? You idiot... you're dead today."
The man spat out all sorts of curses as he took off his black mask.
'That's Oh Gyeong-pyo, the vice master of the <Hyeonmu> Guild, isn't it?'
He was Oh Gyeong-pyo, the Magician of the Spear, ranked 14th among South Korea's Players.
However, he was famous for being on bad terms with the A.M.T.
In other words, in this situation, he was one of the more awkward individuals to deal with.
"...Mr. Oh Gyeong-pyo? Why are you here?"
He strode up to Seo Eun-ha, held something out, and whispered.
"I'm not supposed to just show this around, but I'm a government black ops agent."
It was an A.M.T. ID card, which stated his rank as Lieutenant Colonel.
"Uh... is this real?"
"You can verify that later. For now, let's focus over there, First Lieutenant Seo?"
"Ah..."
Seo Eun-ha was confused about what was going on.
Then, Ki Baek-jun spoke.
"Listen up, all of you. I'm only warning you once."
Veins bulged in his eyes as he lifted his head.
Laputa was visible high above.
"Get out of my sight right now... or else..."
At that moment, something like a tentacle shot out from his shoulder—
Thwack!
It pierced through the window of the city bus next to him and impaled a young man's neck.
"Hey! You crazy bastard, what the hell are you doing!"
"I... just... told you... to get out of the way! You sons of bitches!"
Thwump—!
Amidst the shouting from both sides, another person was sacrificed.
In an instant, two of the bus's left-side windows were stained crimson.
It was an unexpected, indiscriminate murder, and they couldn't react.
"Kyaaaa—"
"H-help me!"
At that, Seo Eun-ha and Oh Gyeong-pyo looked at each other with bewildered expressions.
"...Whatever this is, we have to fall back for now."
"Hah, I guess we do, this is..."
The A.M.T. soldiers had no choice but to hesitate and step back.
Ki Baek-jun's side began to slowly advance, closing the distance.
"And please, it would be best not to try any stupid shit like sniping. You're not confident you can distinguish the civilians from the hostages inside that bus, are you?"
There were about twenty people on the city bus. But based on Ki Baek-jun's last comment, it seemed his subordinates were hidden among them.
Thud— Thud—
At this rate, they had no choice but to play right into their hands.
"...Sergeant Kang, can you hear me?"
Seo Eun-ha whispered just loud enough for Kang Ik-jun, who was standing behind her, to hear.
"Yes, I'm right behind you."
"The civilians inside, can you electrocute them without killing them?"
At those words, Kang Ik-jun let out a small sigh.
"...Are you trying to get me dishonorably discharged and put in handcuffs?"
"I heard Lee Hyun-wook managed it just fine when he rescued the Gugwang Group's daughter."
"Hah, him again? Hah... Alright, I understand. Give me the signal."
He lowered the muzzle of the Barrett M82A1 he was holding toward the ground.
Thud—
And slowly, he placed his index finger on the trigger.
Thud—
Then, as he took another step back—
"...Now."
On her signal, he pulled the trigger with the muzzle pointed at the ground.
At that moment, a small magic circle formed above his head.
He was a sniper, but his original trait was a mage, a 'Magic Marksman'.
Ta-bang—!
A gunshot. The bullet was fired not from the muzzle but from the magic circle, and at the same time, Seo Eun-ha shot a 'Holy Light' at Ki Baek-jun's face.
"Ugh!"
A direct hit. The man grimaced, and the tentacle on his shoulder thrashed through the air.
In that instant, the .50 caliber bullet pierced the bus's front window, and the current magic enchanted on it activated—sending arcs of blue electricity spreading in all directions.
Bzzzzzt—!
Seo Eun-ha kicked off the ground and charged forward. She closed the distance at a speed unbelievable for someone wearing heavy full plate armor, and about ten meters from the bus, she kicked off the ground and leaped.
Crash—!
She shattered the bus's windshield as she burst in, rolled once on the floor, and got to her feet. Then she quickly spun around, scanning the attire of the electrocuted passengers. More precisely, she was picking out the ones hiding weapons.
'Found them!'
Three in total. Seo Eun-ha knocked them out with a punch to the jaw each.
It all happened in a flash.
And it was also the starting point of the real battle.
"Damn it! Just attack! Kill all those bastards and we're going up to Laputa!"
Soon, the two sides clashed indiscriminately.
A.M.T. snipers who had been on standby all around began to act,
and in turn, Black Orc assassins who had been targeting them appeared.
"—First Company, assume defensive formation!"
Boom! Boom! Bang! Boom!
On the main road in front of Seoul Station, all sorts of magic exploded, blurring the view. Within the chaos, metal clashed with a deafening noise, and from time to time, screams were accompanied by sprays of blood that stickily stained the asphalt.
"Gyaaaah—"
"Damn it, medic! A heal over here... Gak!"
And in such a chaotic battle, it was difficult to stand against the elite Black Orc unit.
The forces of the 3rd Anti-Monster Brigade's 1st Battalion began to be pushed back helplessly.
"Hey! Ki Baek-jun, you son of a bitch! Get over here!"
Meanwhile, Oh Gyeong-pyo drew his spear and charged at Ki Baek-jun.
No matter how much their own forces were being pushed back, if they could just take down Ki Baek-jun, it would be over.
"Hey! You know you can't beat me no matter how high your rank is, right?"
Ki Baek-jun was ranked 10th, Oh Gyeong-pyo 14th. On paper, Ki Baek-jun seemed superior, but in a one-on-one fight, Oh Gyeong-pyo, with his 'Warrior: Spear Specialization' trait, had an overwhelming advantage over Ki Baek-jun, a 'Summoner'.
But Ki Baek-jun didn't back down.
"Yeah... come on, then. I've bet everything on today."
Ki Baek-jun muttered as he took out a dagger and slit his own wrist.
The splattered blood moved on its own on the ground, drawing a magic circle,
Tssst—
and from within it, a giant mouth emerged.
"...Huh?"
Oh Gyeong-pyo couldn't help but stop at the bizarre sight.
Then, the mouth opened wide and tore off Ki Baek-jun's left arm.
Shh-rrrip—!
"Gyaaaaaah—!"
- Warning! A 'Demonic Beast Summoning Ritual' is beginning in this area.
"You bastard, don't tell me... you've even dabbled in the power of demons?"
As a 'Summoner', Ki Baek-jun fought by summoning various creatures.
But there was one fact not known to the public... By making a contract with a demon, he had gained the right to use the 'Demonic Beast Cage', a place teeming with demonic beasts on par with high-level boss monsters, allowing him to summon them.
However, summoning a demonic beast required a great price.
For instance, offering a part of his own body to the demon.
The blood pouring from Ki Baek-jun's severed arm conjured a portal.
And from within it, a strange beast crawled out.
- Warning! The demonic beast 'Cerberus' has appeared.
A giant beast with three heads, the gatekeeper of hell, Cerberus...
Its six red eyes fell upon Oh Gyeong-pyo.
"...Huh?"
Overwhelmed by its imposing presence, Oh Gyeong-pyo hesitated and stepped back.
It bared its blade-like teeth, revealing deep hostility, and the moment Oh Gyeong-pyo slowly readjusted his grip on his spear—three maws lunged at him.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
"Kuh! How is it so fa—"
Oh Gyeong-pyo barely managed to dodge the three sets of teeth coming from three directions.
However, he couldn't avoid the forepaw swiping from the side.
Thwack—!
Taking a direct hit, he was sent flying over ten meters and crashed into a truck.
"Kuh! This crazy bastard is summoning all sorts of fucked-up things..."
Oh Gyeong-pyo had been eagerly awaiting the moment to catch Ki Baek-jun and had studied all the creatures he wielded, but he had never expected a demonic beast like this.
In an instant, its teeth were right in front of him again.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
'This thing is too fast!'
Thwack—!
This time, too, he dodged the three maws but was slammed by a forepaw.
He quickly rolled to the side to evade the lunging teeth once more.
Crunch!
The asphalt where he had just been lying was gouged out like a piece of cake.
'Damn it! I can't face this alone! It's at least over level 110!'
High-level boss monsters over level 100 were difficult for even the strongest Players to face alone. He felt this monster was exactly that.
But it was at that moment.
Cerberus, which had been chasing Oh Gyeong-pyo, stopped and two of its heads shot up. Then, as if it had spotted something, it began to bark ferociously.
Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!
The very next moment—
Kra-koom—!
A bronze giant fell vertically from the sky, crushing Cerberus beneath it.
And with four chainsaws, it began to saw off its necks.
Grrrrrrind—!
Splat— In an instant, the first head was severed.
Whimper—whimper—whimper—whimper—!
The remaining two heads howled pitifully and fled with their tails between their legs.
「I heard that in this country, leashes are mandatory in public places. It seems we just need two more leashes now, so please do your best to follow the rules!」
As the bronze giant spoke, someone appeared atop it.
It was Park Jun-mo.
He was holding something massive.
It was the <Mace of the Thunder God>.
"—Everyone! Don't move!"
And, he fired.
Bzz-zz-zz-zzt—!
Bundles of blue electricity that at first glance seemed to be fired indiscriminately—
But Park Jun-mo's eyes glowed blue as he initiated precision guidance.