Chapter 168
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Italy, Mafia, Heise King - Part 3
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“...Approaching C-point. We’ll start lowering our altitude to meet the ‘seagulls’.”
Marvin Keiter, the escort captain, said as he peered out the window.
The sea drew closer below while the clouds receded above, a clear sign that the plane was descending.
“Hey, but why the hell aren’t those bastards coming up?”
He muttered after a glance at his watch. Another guard fumbled for his Mana Messenger.
Only the two of them remained in economy class; the rest were scattered throughout the cargo hold, business class, and the cockpit.
“...I’ll try to contact them.”
Marvin Keiter nodded, his gaze shifting to the woman sitting in the rearmost seat, Rabies.
She was wearing the adamant knuckles he’d given her, staring out the window.
*Is she pissed because I was late bringing her items?*
Despite the rather crude jokes he’d exchanged with her, Marvin Keiter couldn’t help but feel a little wary.
*She looks calm on the surface, but that bitch’s track record is absolutely insane. And she doesn't think of us as allies, so I have to be careful.*
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t afraid of her. From the moment he’d been assigned this operation, the tension had kept him from sleeping.
Rabies’s notoriety was that great, and her skills were beyond question.
Level 81... wasn’t she a top-tier Player, ranked within the top 100 in the world?
If she suddenly felt the urge to indulge in that bizarre ‘hobby’ she’d mentioned... this plane would become a bloodbath, and he and his men might very well be part of the carnage.
“Uh... Captain, the guys in the cargo hold aren’t answering their mana comms. Could there be mana interference in this area?”
“What, showing off your pathetic bit of knowledge? Tsk—you think a Mana Messenger gets jammed that easily?”
“Ah...”
“Those bastards are probably too busy stuffing the passengers’ items into their little pouches to notice the time. Hey, Victor! Get down to the cargo hold now and tell them to get their asses up here!”
He shouted toward business class.
But the man named Victor, standing guard at the entrance with an assault rifle, didn’t budge, as if he hadn’t heard.
“Hey!”
“...”
There was no way he hadn’t heard after being shouted at twice.
“...”
Sensing something was wrong, Marvin Keiter glanced at his subordinate, who adjusted his grip on his assault rifle and entered the passage to business class.
*Step— Step—*
“Hey, what’s going on?”
As he drew closer, he noticed a large, dark stain at Victor’s feet, who was still standing perfectly still.
It was a pool of blood.
He had died on his feet.
“...Damn it!”
The moment he raised his rifle and tried to step back, a bluish ripple spread along the floor and walls, coiling around his body like a snake.
*Crackle—!*
“Aghhh—!”
It was an electric current. He could do nothing but tremble violently before collapsing backward.
“—What the!”
Marvin Keiter ducked down, pulling out his weapon, a wand.
He glanced over at Rabies.
She was watching the unfolding chaos with a bored expression.
“What’s this all about... Marvin, were you all talk?”
“Damn it, save the crap for later! Can’t you help a little? All my guys went to the cargo hold, I’m the only one left...”
She turned her head to look at two other men, both Red Players. They were her subordinates, and with a grumble, they reluctantly rose from their seats.
“Hah, what a pain...”
They held a one-handed sword and a wand, respectively.
Just then, Marvin Keiter raised his voice.
“—Listen up, you bastards! If any of you get any funny ideas and act tough now, you’re all going to die for real!”
There were a total of 22 Player passengers in economy class, and Marvin Keiter knew the will to resist must be budding in their minds, so he issued a stern warning.
“And you’ve probably figured out who that woman over there is by now, right? The Mad Dog who once made a name for herself, Rabies! If you dare challenge her out of some misplaced bravado—”
“Hey—don’t you go throwing my name around. You’re making me want to kill you first.”
“...Ah, fine, so can’t you just help me out yourself? Huh? I’m begging you.”
She let out a long sigh and stood up. Then, she suddenly grabbed a middle-aged Player sitting nearby by the collar and hauled him to his feet.
“Wh-what are you doing...”
*CRUNCH—*
She bit into the side of his neck.
His eyes rolled back, and he foamed at the mouth. Blood streamed down, staining his white shirt red.
*Slurp, slurp—*
“What, what are you doing!”
“Aaaah—!”
Screams erupted from all over, but Marvin Keiter waved his wand, conjuring flames, and the cabin fell silent again.
“Ahh—”
Rabies drank her fill of blood, wiped her mouth, and gave a strange smile.
Her eyes had turned a deep red.
*That’s the power of a demon...*
That was why she was called the Mad Dog; she was a ‘demon worshipper.’
By taking a living sacrifice like this, she could borrow the power of some unknown demon.
At that moment—
*CRUNCH—*
An aura erupted from her body, and the floor beneath her feet buckled.
Watching the scene, Marvin Keiter swallowed hard.
“Hah—I just hope this doesn’t make us crash...”
Level 81... even if everyone here attacked her fully armed, she could kill them all with just that small knuckle duster.
In other words, from the moment the guards intervened and removed her magic restraints, her escape was destined to succeed.
“...Please, I’m begging you, just be careful not to crash the plane.”
“Well, I have an ‘Aura Shield,’ so I won’t die even if I fall from here.”
“...”
With those chilling words, she strode toward business class. Everyone held their breath, watching her go.
It was like watching a walking bomb. In other words, with every move she made, the likelihood of the plane crashing grew.
“Hey, I can kill all those things over there, right?”
“...Yeah, yeah, you can pull out their tongues and gouge out their eyes, I don’t care.”
“No, I’ve opened up plenty of heads, so this time I think I’ll observe the thoracic region—”
Just then—
*WHOOSH—!*
A gust of wind erupted from business class, sending her body flying backward.
*Thud—*
She extended her right arm back, catching herself on the wall. The spot she touched was punctured as if by an awl.
“Ah... this is starting to get on my nerves...”
She brushed her hair back and smirked.
“Oh, so you’re just going to come at me first?”
Her assessment was correct. A woman, wreathed in a massive amount of electricity, shot out of business class at incredible speed.
“Uh...”
Faced with this bizarre charge, Rabies’s two subordinates reflexively stepped forward, only to hesitate.
It was a fatal mistake.
The woman moved like air, running along the walls and ceiling, and in an instant, she flashed between the two men.
*SLASH—!*
In a flash, fountains of blood erupted from the two men’s necks, spraying across the ceiling like paint.
“Son of a—bitch—where did she get a weapon!”
Unable to just watch, Marvin Keiter swung his wand forward. The moment a crimson flame gathered at its tip—
*WHAM—*
A step ahead of him, the woman’s body shot up like a lightning bolt, and she planted a flying knee into his head.
“—Gack!”
His body spun two or three times in the air before he crashed haphazardly onto an empty seat. As he gasped for breath, his teeth clattered out.
Still, as a B-rank mage Player, he had a magic barrier around his body, which kept him from being knocked unconscious.
In just a few seconds, the woman—Kim Se-hee—had taken down three people, moving through the cramped space with an overwhelming speed that was impossible to follow. She stopped in the middle of economy class, holding a short dagger in a reverse grip.
“Hoo...”
*BOOM—!*
Just then, an explosion rocked the aircraft, and Kim Se-hee’s body was thrown back five or six meters.
She felt the shock reverberate through her body, a wave of nausea rising in her throat.
The impact was so strong that five or six seats were ripped from their moorings, tumbling over and taking the passengers sitting nearby with them.
“Aaaah—!”
Fortunately, while several windows cracked, none of them broke.
And since the altitude was quite low, the pressure difference between the inside and outside wasn't great enough to suck everyone out through a broken window like in the movies.
In any case, that immense shockwave was the result of Rabies simply throwing a punch.
“Hey, Marvin, you’re really bad at your job.”
“What?”
“That woman is at least level seventy. That means all the intel you got, like that passenger list, was completely wrong.”
“Kugh... se-seventy, th-that’s impossible.”
There was an A-rank Player here?
“...Well, she’s no match for me anyway.”
She grinned viciously and raised her hands. Kim Se-hee tightened her grip on her dagger and swirled wind around her body.
“...Ah, so you’re a spirit user, huh?”
As she clenched her fists, a tremendous amount of energy was released, violently shaking the aircraft. Groans of pain echoed throughout the cabin.
“Please... ju-just don’t crash the plane—”
“—Marvin, one more word out of you, and I’ll punch a hole in the wall.”
*Crackle—*
At that moment, the electric current flowing from business class passed through Kim Se-hee’s body and lunged at Rabies like the maw of a giant shark.
But Rabies didn’t dodge it, instead taking the full force of the attack.
*Crackle—*
The persistent current clung to her body like a swarm of piranhas, tearing at her Aura Shield, but unfortunately, the shield’s regeneration speed was much faster.
“Hmm, this seems to be some kind of current control ability... too scared to go all out because you’re afraid the plane will crash... looks like you’re a coward, huh?”
She pushed through the current as if wading through a slightly strong stream of water, closing several meters in a single step to arrive right in front of Kim Se-hee.
“Kugh!”
Kim Se-hee tried to levitate into the air to create distance, but Rabies’s fist slammed into her abdomen.
“Huk!”
Her body flew into the air, soaring into business class, where she slammed into the ceiling before crashing to the floor.
“Ugh... cough—”
She spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Huk—Team Leader Kim!”
Even though she had tried her best to block it, her ribs were shattered and her internal organs were ruptured.
She twitched, trying to get up, but the shock had reached her spine, and her body wouldn’t respond.
Finally, her head hit the floor, and she lost consciousness.
*Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!*
The impact seemed to have destabilized the aircraft, as a loud alarm began to blare.
*Thud—*
Just then, Rabies took a second step, kicking off the floor, and her body landed in the center of business class in an instant.
“Hah!”
Park Jun-mo was right in front of her. Startled, he tried to envelop his body in an electric current to block her punch... but it was a mistake.
As expected, Rabies ignored the current, and her left hook shot toward his head.
*WHOOSH—!*
If that punch landed, anyone who wasn't a warrior-class Player would have their head burst like a ripe watermelon, and not even a Saintess could save them then.
But this time, a seed flew through the air, germinated, and vines sprouted, wrapping tightly around her body.
“Hah—what’s this now?”
She tore at the vines in annoyance and turned her head.
Two black men were standing there.
“...Are you even Players?”
She sensed a foreign power emanating from them.
Of course, she couldn't identify it precisely... but it was a strange feeling of aversion, more like what she felt from monsters than Players.
“...Even for you, my prince, it is impossible without a bow.”
“Still, I cannot stand by. We just have to hold out until he arrives.”
The two men exchanged a brief conversation and raised their hands.
But they were not skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and their stances were somewhat clumsy.
Rabies charged at them, and in just a few seconds, five or six seats were shattered, the ceiling broke, and equipment came pouring down.
*CRASH! BANG! CRASH! BANG!*
After the brief scuffle, the ones who went flying were... as expected, the two men.
“You, based on your aura, you seem to be a pretty high level... Too bad you don’t have a weapon.”
Her guess was correct. The black man—the second prince of the dark elves, Clypeus Griseo—was an archer.
That was why, despite being a level 109 boss monster, he couldn't display much power in close combat.
“Well then... shall I begin my little hobby?”
She revealed her blood-stained teeth in a vicious grin.
“First, you... I think I’ll take a bite out of you, cute little boy.”
Her choice was Park Jun-mo.
She ripped a piece of the metal frame that had fallen from the ceiling and hurled it at him.
*SHIICK—!*
The sharp piece of metal flew at near subsonic speeds... Park Jun-mo lacked the agility to dodge it.
But then—
*Woong—*
“Huh?”
It stopped in mid-air, and then—
*Shiick—*
It reversed course, flying back towards Rabies.
*CLANG!*
“What the—what is this—!”
She leaped backward, swinging her knuckled fists wildly.
It looked like she was shadowboxing, punching at empty air, but with each punch, a *clang— clang—* sound echoed as something was deflected.
They were steel balls.
Steel balls were being shot at her from somewhere, and even when she deflected them, they would curve in mid-air and fly back at her.
Feeling as if she were dealing with a swarm of hornets, both annoying and dangerous, she raised her guard higher, concentrating her Aura Shield in her arms.
“Fuck—what is it, where is it?”
At that moment, her eyes froze on one spot.
About 7 meters away, she detected a faint presence in an empty space.
“Ah, invisibility?”
If so, he would have to reveal himself soon. No matter how skilled an assassin, it was difficult to maintain invisibility for minutes on end.
But even as she kept her guard up, deflecting the incoming steel balls and waiting... her foe did not appear.
“Invisibility this long is impossible unless it’s the ‘Kynee’... Don’t tell me...”
A sense of unease began to fill her mind.
*It’s fine. Even if it really is the Kynee, he’ll have to reveal his presence.*
And she possessed senses sharp enough not to miss even the smallest sign of presence.
*One clean hit is all it takes to kill him.*
Just then, she heard footsteps nearby.
And she felt the air being displaced as something massive moved.
*Alright, got you!*
With animalistic instinct, she attempted to parry the object flying towards her.
Even if it were a sharp weapon, her body was protected by a powerful Aura Shield, so she should be able to deflect it easily.
She prepared to launch a counter-punch, but—
*SLASH—!*
Her arm was severed in a single blow.
“Ah?”
Only then did she realize.
The invisible object flying at her was a massive metal chunk weighing several tons...
*Fuck—is that even possible?*
But even as her intuition told her so, she couldn’t believe it.
He swung something that heavy that fast? And who on earth could do such a thing?
“N-n-no way—”
As such thoughts muddled her mind, all she could do was stumble backward.
At that moment—
*THWACK!*
A mace, or something that felt like one, slammed into her face. It struck her chin squarely, and she felt her brain rattle.
*THWACK!*
Another blow landed, this time on the bridge of her nose.
Her nose collapsed at a right angle, and her teeth rained down.
*THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!*
The mace-like fists began to pummel her entire body indiscriminately.
The unidentified attacker was still invisible, so she looked like she was breakdancing alone, her body slowly twisting like a jointed doll.
“Gack...”
Beaten to a pulp, she collapsed onto a seat.
“...”
Meanwhile, Marvin Keiter, who had been watching the scene, dropped his wand with a dazed expression.
A moment later, something shimmered in the empty air before him, and a man appeared.
“Uh...”
He was holding a black helmet in one hand.
“Th-that’s...”
It was the legendary-grade helmet, the ‘Kynee.’
The man, Lee Hyun-wook, looked down at Marvin Keiter with a blank expression and spoke in a low voice.
“It’s over, so tell your subordinate in the cockpit to come out quietly.”
“N-no, no.”
But Marvin Keiter just chuckled, shaking his head, and pointed out the window.
“Our current altitude... isn’t it strangely low? Do you know why we’ve descended so much?”
Just then, a voice came from the Mana Messenger on Marvin Keiter’s hip.
- *Ksshh—* This is Seagull, we’ve spotted the Blue Whale. Approaching now.
“You look like an Italian. You’ve heard of the ‘Nuovo Ordine,’ right?”
It was the name of the most powerful mafia organization in the world.
The 'Ndrangheta, a corporate mafia from the Calabria region of Italy, had recruited a large number of Players after the world turned into a game, forming a Player criminal organization...
*Thump-thump-thump-thump—*
Soon, the loud sound of rotors could be heard from outside the window.
“I don’t know who you are or how the hell you got your hands on the Kynee, but do you really think you can take on dozens of ‘NO’ members by yourself?”
“...”
“And out here in the open sea, there’s nowhere to run and no one to help you! You’re finished!”
*Thump-thump-thump-thump—*
The sound of the rotors grew clearer. Five or six helicopters could be seen flanking them on both sides.
Marvin Keiter’s expression became even more triumphant.
“However... the Nuovo Ordine is looking for skilled people like you. I can introduce you to someone pretty high up in the organization, how about it? Look, what I’m saying is, I’m the only one who can save you. I’ll make sure to hype up your incredible skills, so as long as you don’t do anything stupid... you can live.”
He was chattering away, worried for his own life.
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
“Is someone like that on one of those helicopters?”
He raised his left hand with an indifferent expression and pointed out the window.
“Yes, the head of the southern branch is on that one.”
At that moment—
*CRUNCH!*
“Huh?”
A loud noise made Marvin Keiter turn his head.
*CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!*
For some reason, the helicopters surrounding the aircraft on both sides... all crumpled like paper and plunged into the sea.
...Not a single one was left.
“Well, now. That was a tempting offer. What a shame.”
And then—
*THUD—*
The cockpit door was ripped off its hinges, and someone was dragged out, scraping along the floor. It was the last guard, who had been threatening the pilot and co-pilot.
“Gack—gack—”
There was something like a dog collar around his neck.
“This plane will now proceed to Rome as scheduled.”
***
A few hours later, upon arriving in Rome...
“Hah...”
Lee Hyun-wook couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.
Below him, Rome's international airport, Leonardo da Vinci Airport, was on fire.
*Thump— Thump—*
Giants in heavy armor were stomping through the area, their earth-shaking footsteps crushing Players underfoot, their spears swinging to demolish aircraft and buildings.
*...The Titanomachy is progressing much faster than I thought.*
And the names of those Titans were...
- Titan Hoplites (LV: 110)
The Titans that had appeared so far were ‘scouts.’
In other words, they were merely a form of reconnaissance, a prelude to the Titanomachy.
But the five or six Titans that had appeared now had the suffix ‘Hoplites.’
It was a term for heavily armed infantry in ancient Greece, which could be interpreted as the main force.
*In other words, a named Titan has appeared.*
It made sense now. When they had just entered Greek airspace, the pilot had urgently reported that all communications, including radio and mana, were down.
The reason was likely that multiple super-massive gates had opened in Rome, causing intense mana scattering in the area.
And all of Rome... no, perhaps all of Europe was under attack by these giants.
“Hmm... well, this seems to have thrown a wrench in our plans for a stealthy infiltration... I think we’ll need to modify the plan a bit.”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s words, Kim Se-hee, Park Jun-mo, and the two dark elves turned their heads.
“In that case... we have no choice but to plow through everything to get to our destination.”
In fact, for Lee Hyun-wook, it was far more comfortable to cut through a battlefield he could freely control than a city that was too stable and required too much attention.