Rule Breaker (2)

I stepped out of the tower. I needed to figure out what was going on.

Bzzz—!! The standard-issue phone vibrated, waking from its week-long sleep.

"...What the hell is this?" I froze solid the moment I saw the news. And I couldn't blame myself for it.

Lost contact? The Cheonghwa Guild, of all people?

Entering a gate doesn't usually cut off communication. I don't know exactly how it works, but it's something like a router that keeps the internet running. I had even watched the turtle boss monster fight through the relayed footage the Cheonghwa Guild filmed on site...

But not only is there no relayed footage, even the additional Awakeners who went in haven't come back?

The massive gate that Cheonghwa was supposed to clear. I was pretty sure it had appeared near Korea University. What on earth was happening?

I quickly searched for any gate footage. My Dragon Eyes was an absurdly broken trait that spat out all kinds of information just from looking at a photo. Maybe it would give me something this time too.

And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it did.

Hmm. Average level in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the 580s. Boss at 703. Definitely impressive, but...

Should be a one-day clear for Cheonghwa, right?

Just clearing the normal tower up to the 75th floor puts you at level 600. Stats increase by 8 per floor, after all. Most of Cheonghwa's frontline raid teams would have fully cleared the normal tower. Even Hwang Hee-chan, who had titles, stigmata, and a legendary-grade trait, had gone in.

Annihilation? They wouldn't be able to pull that off even if they tried. So why was it taking this long?

There was only one thing I was curious about. Why was the nation's number one guild trapped in there for a whole week?

I widened my eyes to check. Unfortunately, no additional information appeared. It seemed even Dragon Eyes couldn't analyze the interior just by looking at the portal.

They'll probably clear it on their own... but it is a super-large gate.

"Just in case, I should go help."

After assessing the situation, I slipped my phone back into my pocket. Then I lightly loosened up my body.

A break, especially a super-large gate, is dangerous.

A break was a catastrophe. Few people understood that better than I did. It was only natural, since a break had taken my parents and the people who had raised me, their adopted son, like their own child. This was why I was moving despite my vow not to stand out after nearly getting caught last time.

Man, I really hate this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hat no matter how many times I see it... but I don't have a choice.

I ducked into a quiet alley and equipped the legendary-grade transparency hat from my inventory. On top of that, I poured plenty of mana into the artifact, the Necklace of Seclusion. It was to achieve perfect stealth.

This won't even show up on cameras.

In this state, even automatic doors couldn't detect me, but I didn't really care. Unlike last time, I planned to stay hidden until the end. I had no intention of entering anywhere while stealthed.

Just checking things out, just in case...

After testing the stealth performance in front of some passing pedestrians, I thought, Perfect. Let's go!!

Tap—!! The sound of me kicking off the ground hard. At the same time, I shot forward like an arrow. The speed was enough to surprise even me.

"Whoa..."

This footwork really is ridiculously overpowered.

It probably had something to do with my increased specs too. The footwork that the ghost taught me was incredibly good. Ignoring air resistance and running comfortably was the basics. If I pushed it a little, I could even change direction or stop instantly while ignoring inertia. It felt like I had wings on my back...

Wings? Come to think of it, having a pair of wings on my back would make fighting a lot easier, wouldn't it?

The random thought made me feel ridiculous, but anyway. I kept using the newly learned footwork. My body shot forward as if I really had wings. Thanks to that, it didn't take long to reach the scene.

Hmm.

The street was packed with police. Barricades completely blocking the road. And as if that wasn't enough, there were even soldiers with guns.

They're treating the break as confirmed.

It was probably because the raid team had gone silent. If Cheonghwa had truly been annihilated without even a chance to send a message, it would mean a demonic realm surpassing the seven major gates. From the nation's perspective, being cautious was the right call. It was an overreaction in reality, but still.

Thank you for your hard work day and night. I'll take care of this, so don't worry.

After mentally bowing to the tax-paid civil servants, I leaped straight over them. It was a movement flashy enough to advertise that an Awakener had entered, but...

"Huh? Didn't the wind just blow upward?"

"You're sensing everything now? Your eyes have gone crazy because you want that paid vacation, huh?"

"No, it's because my cousin lives around here and I'm focusing..."

As expected, no one noticed. Not the soldiers or police, and not even the Awakeners loitering nearby. This was the combination of legendary-grade transparency armor and a presence-hiding artifact. With just these two, I could sneak into a women's bath and not get caught. Not that I had any intention of doing so, of course.

Shall we go, then?

I left them behind and moved forward. I passed through the university main gate. Since the portal would be where the Awakeners were gathered, I headed in that direction. The closer I got, the more the atmosphere turned into complete chaos.

"What are you guys doing instead of going in?!"

"If Cheonghwa lost contact, we'd end up the same even if we went in. It's better to wait here with the other guilds and handle the break when it happens."

"Are you for real...?!"

Awakeners were raising their voices, veins bulging in their necks. It looked like every famous guild in Korea, including Cheonghwa, had gathered. And the top-ranked guild, Cheonghwa, was suffering humiliation today of all days.

"What if flying monsters come out?! Are you blocking the entire sky?! We should have gone in beforehand and taken care of them!"

"Wouldn't you have done that? How many Awakeners went in? Surely they managed at least that much."

"Y-you...!!!"

The Cheonghwa guild members were grinding their teeth. But they couldn't charge in. They could only turn their heads away with frustrated expressions. It was rather pitiful.

Well, their maximum fighting power is trapped inside the gate.

Hwang Hee-chan and the rest of Cheonghwa's elite were currently missing, their life or death unknown. People were even cautiously speculating the possibility of annihilation. Even the Cheonghwa guild members themselves didn't look good. A few Awakeners who saw that were openly saying that Cheonghwa was finished now.

But I think they're all still alive.

Of course, to my eyes it was just pathetic trash-talking, but anyway. Now that I had a grasp of the atmosphere, it was time to move.

Entering the gate would be too reckless, right?

The best scenario would be for me to slip in, clean everything up, and come back out... but there were only about four hours left until the break. Clearing a super-large gate in that time? Even I wasn't confident. Especially if it was special enough to trap even Hwang Hee-chan for over a week.

It would be a hundred times better to pour out Space Slash the moment the break starts. Definitely.

After finishing my thoughts, I looked around. I was searching for the perfect spot.

Hmm. That place looks just right.

Tap—! I jumped while pressing down on my hat. It was a spot where I could see the portal at a glance and swing my sword without anything getting in the way. Right on top of the Korea University mascot statue.

Then I guess I'll kill time until the break happens.

I sat down and took out my phone. And so I passed the time. The next time I stood up, the break had only five minutes left.

It's been a while. Might as well use the new sword I got.

I gripped the unique-grade sword that the ghost used to wield. I took a deep breath and adjusted my stance. Reminding myself of my goal was a bonus.

Let's not stand out this time.

The small fry could be handled by the other Awakeners. What I would deal with were the non-standard types. The flying monsters that became dozens of times more troublesome the moment they were released outside. And... if it seemed like I couldn't handle it, I'd just quickly take care of the boss and run.

One minute left now.

As I waited, the time drew near. The area around me grew noisy too. It was because the portal had started glitching as if it had noise interference.

"The break is about to happen!!!"

"Everyone stay in position! We don't know what's coming out, so be careful!!"

"Damn it, it would've been reassuring if Steel Min had written something..."

The sound of weapons being gripped echoed everywhere. Then silence fell. While everyone was tense, time flowed slowly... and then—

"It's coming!!"

"Multiple flying types confirmed!! Many other monsters as well!!!"

"Damn it, the vanguard really was wiped out..."

Monsters immediately began pouring down from the pillar of light, but...

Twenty-four in total!!

My unique-grade sword was already raking through the air.

"Blood Explosion."

A red light like blood shone on my arm. At the same time, pain flooded my entire body. It was the self-damage proportional to the temporary stat increase gained from activating the stigmata.

It's just muscle pain.

Of course, the pain itself was trivial. Compared to the explosive acceleration I gained from it, it was basically free. Thanks to that, my sword moved even faster than when I had faced the ghost.

Tap—. "Space Slash."

I jumped into the sky in case my position was tracked, then swung the unique-grade sword wildly. It was so fast that it didn't sound like a sword but a fan, no, a jet engine. The result didn't even need to be said.

It was instant annihilation.

The wyverns that had emerged from the portal and taken to the sky had thin lines carved across their bodies. They had each been hit nicely by the long-range attack I fired, Space Slash, one per monster. And the flying monsters, considered the most horrific in break situations, were bisected without even getting to let out a single scream.

"Wait, that's..."

"Steel Min!! It's Steel Min!!!"

"Damn it, I knew I could count on you!!!!"

Cheers burst out simultaneously. Since I had already put on a mad movie once before, there wasn't a single person who didn't recognize what was happening. A few of the higher-level ones immediately shifted their gaze to where I had been floating moments ago, but...

Hey, that's just my afterimage?

I had expected this, so I had been pouring mana into the necklace the whole time. On top of that, I was still wearing the legendary-grade transparency hat on my head. Unless someone had a legendary-grade detection trait, finding me was impossible.

Clack.Now then, all that's left is the boss.

While everyone else was blankly staring at empty space, I returned to the top of the statue. I rested the sword on my shoulder. After that, I carefully observed the portal. The remaining small fry were all mediocre, so the other Awakeners would handle them. I planned to check the boss one last time and then leave, but...

Whoosh!!

"H-Hwang Hee-chan?!"

"The other guild members are there too!!!"

People suddenly jumped down all at once from the tall pillar of light. It was Hwang Hee-chan and the Cheonghwa guild members. Just as I had predicted, they all looked perfectly fine.

...But why didn't they kill the boss?

I tilted my head as I watched. Even the Cheonghwa guild members, who knew the situation better than anyone, were looking around left and right, unable to grasp what was happening. The one who opened his eyes widest first was, of course, him.

"Steel Min-nim!!!!"

The wyverns whose bodies had been severed and were turning to dust. Hwang Hee-chan, who discovered them, shouted loudly. His expression was filled with urgency.

"Run—!!!"

And right after he shouted, crack—!!! Something surged up from the ground. It surrounded every single Awakener, including me. Before normal Awakeners could even react, it swallowed them whole in an instant.

"......Huh?"

Don't tell me the entire university is within the range!!?

A disaster on a slightly larger scale had arrived.