Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Already the Grand Joy Mountain
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Time passed.
About five hours.
Han still showed no signs of waking up.
"...Dead?"
Did I misjudge my strength?
I was starting to get worried.
If he ended up like Kahtel, sleeping away as another slum prince, what then?
I sat there blankly, lost in such thoughts, when Betty popped into existence from thin air.
"Betty."
I gave a little wave to call her over, and she turned, spotted me, waved back, and walked my way.
The dark circles under her eyes made her look utterly exhausted.
If anyone had been the busiest for the past four hours, it was Betty.
She'd been zipping back and forth between here and elsewhere, gathering intel.
"Han's still sleeping?"
"Yeah."
"I'm running all over the place nonstop, and he's just lying there snoring away?"
Betty snapped, which was rare for her.
She must've felt pretty hard done by, seeing Han flat out every time she dropped in.
"...I'm beat. Never used this much mana before."
"You okay? Here, drink this and take a breather."
She was complaining of dizziness, so I mixed up some cocoa and handed it over.
After burning mana nonstop for four hours straight, no wonder she felt woozy.
Betty was the only one among us who could scout, so intel-gathering fell squarely on her.
The silver lining for her? She couldn't fight to save her life, so if things heated up, she could hunker down in a corner.
I sat beside her and asked,
"So, what's the word? Anything new?"
"Same as before."
Betty's report hadn't changed.
The veterans like Aselrika were still hunkered down in the center, not budging an inch.
What were they thinking?
I couldn't wrap my head around sending mostly rookies out first.
Maybe they weren't planning an immediate assault.
Could be they wanted to train the newbies in W District, then grind us down in a war of attrition.
"Why's Han sleeping on the floor, though?"
"Must've been wiped out."
Whatever. I took a quick tea break with Betty.
Those worries were for Han to handle once he woke up.
Betty headed out for more scouting, and about an hour later, Han stirred.
I'd hit him pretty hard, so I'd been concerned, but he seemed fine. Relief.
"Ah, my head..."
"Slept like a rock, huh?"
I gave him the five-hour rundown. Nothing had changed much from the start, so it was straightforward.
Not long after.
Betty popped back into view and yelled.
The heroes were coming.
#
"Looks like they're coming straight at us. Going for a quick decisive strike."
Han muttered.
The heroes who'd taken ages to reach W District did a bare-minimum regroup, then plunged right into X District's barrier.
Seemed they really were sending in the rookies.
No hesitation—they pushed deeper inside.
To give them a proper welcome, we shifted to the edge of the city ruins.
The tallest of the few concrete buildings left.
Han and I perched on its rooftop, gazing toward the distant approach of the heroes.
"Man, I'm in no shape for this. Missing an arm, beaten black and blue yesterday—whole body's sore, plus I've got a concussion."
Han stretched, cricking his neck, looking uncomfortable.
His vibe was light, though.
No grim resolve, no anxiety or fear.
This fight could decide everything ahead, but Han was way too nonchalant for someone on the brink.
Maybe the incoming heroes looked like a pushover lineup.
His nonchalance bordered on amusement—he was that relaxed.
"Who told you to act tough? Spouting crap like that."
His lightness rubbed off; I lightened up too.
With him casually hovering, surveying below, it felt natural to match him.
So we overlooked the ruins from the city's highest perch.
And sipped what might be our last coffee and cocoa.
A bit too spartan for a pre-war ritual.
"You handle Han U-sol."
"You handle yours."
"Our goal's not annihilation—just drive 'em off. No need to die against greenhorns, and we'll bail if it gets dicey."
Whatever.
We weren't the type to stand on ceremony anyway.
Just get more amused.
Our lives had scraped the absolute bottom—through the floor into the basement.
We'd tumbled down hills, smashed into valleys long ago.
Every low and misery life could throw? We'd endured it there.
So now? Only climbing up remained. Time to get joyful.
We'd tasted enough misery; hitting rock bottom was stale. Even facing uncertainty, joy was inevitable.
We stood tall atop our perch.
Not skyscraper heights, but a five-story slum concrete roof? Plenty for us.
Cracked, dry cement underfoot.
Damp moss sprouting from the fissures.
Rusted, faded railings dripping grimy rust.
Below: ruined slum sprawl.
It had its charm.
This was joy's endpoint.
Over the joyful hill, up from the miserable valley: Grand Joy Mountain.
We were high enough already.
Nothing taller around.
Like a bargain-bin indie game's final boss, we leaned into full villain mode, awaiting the heroes.
"What do I say when I see Han U-sol? Got any cool lines?"
"Beats me."
"You know DJ?"
"No clue. Who's that?"
"Daniel."
"Him, yeah. The kid Anis saved back then?"
"Right. He here too?"
"Dunno."
"What about Na-rin or Reisi? You killing them?"
"Nah. Told you—driving 'em out's the goal."
"Good."
Han answered my barrage bluntly as ever, rude but straightforward.
Waiting idly for heroes was boring, so I poked him with questions.
"Han, last time you said if you died, don't grieve or avenge you?"
"Yeah."
"Still, for old times' sake, if you go down, I'll bury you."
"Dump me if you want. Your call. But why jinx it outta nowhere? I ain't dying."
"You brought it up first, way earlier."
"That was then. Feels different now."
Fair. Six hours pre-war vs. right before? Different vibe.
But whatever.
He shouldn't have opened the topic.
We bickered a bit to kill time when presences approached from afar.
The heroes.
"………."
Han and I shut up, watching silently till they drew near.
###
The heroes entered the barrier in formation and immediately tangled with the ambushing magic beasts.
Few beasts, none charging head-on.
Like herding them deeper, the beasts hit-and-ran, luring the heroes inward.
Obvious ploy, but the heroes played dumb and followed.
Soon, the city ruins came into view.
Clear plan: dilute their numbers, force dogfights in tight sightlines.
Ambush anywhere, anytime.
The deeper they went, the more cautious their steps grew.
"...Hold up."
After advancing a bit, they spotted figures atop a building and halted.
Two silhouettes perched on the rooftop railing, long black hair whipping in the wind, overlooking the heroes.
Red and blue eyes alternating sweeps over them.
That cold, ruthless gaze—like a beast's glow in the night—sent chills through the heroes.
"...Anis?"
Han U-sol narrowed his eyes, calling her name.
Looked like Anis, but too far for details.
He took a step forward for a better look.
"Senior, stick to formation."
"...Oh. Right."
Ronel's warning yanked his foot back.
Heroes had basic lines.
Front: melee types.
Reisi, Daniel, Fergus, etc.
Mid: high firepower, short range—mages.
Yoon Na-rin slotted here.
Back: healers, buffers, long-range.
Han U-sol was rear guard—no rushing ahead.
"………."
He peered up again.
Shadows cloaked her in gloom, but those deep, dark pupils shone vivid.
Staring a moment, their eyes met.
Instantly, thick rage flooded her gaze.
Spotting him ignited pure fury.
'...Huh?'
Han U-sol blinked in confusion.
Why?
"......Anis?"
"Hey!!!!!!"
She couldn't hold it and bellowed.
"Look at that fucking ADC noob—hiding in the back like the backline bitch he is!!!!!!"
"......Huh?"
Her roar boomed clear even to the rearmost Han U-sol.
Anis leaped from the roof.
-Thud!
She landed amid the heroes in a blink, then blitzed Han U-sol at eye-blurring speed the instant her feet hit ground.
"W-Wait! Anis!"
Panicked Han U-sol threw up a barrier to halt her, but she accelerated, slamming bodily into it.
-BOOM!!!!
"Guh, ack!?"
Han U-sol rocketed backward through the barrier.
-Crash! Crash! Crash!
Busting through walls mid-flight, but speed held.
Scenery blurred insanely, looping.
Finally, he cratered into some distant slum spot, far from the heroes' ruins.
-KABOOM!
"Cough, cough."
Han U-sol hacked dryly.
Full-body barrier spared injury, but the choking dust cloud? Inevitable.
"Long time... no see? Or whatever."
Brushing off dust, he emerged from wreckage to find Anis waiting.
"......Anis."
No one else around.
Just the two of them.
"I told you never to cross paths again."
Anis hung her head, sighing gloomily.
"...Ha."
But briefly.
Seconds later, she grinned like the sadness never happened.
"Hey. Arsenal lost to Man City again."
She joked with a smile.
Her face beamed joyfully, but to Han U-sol, it somehow looked sad.