Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Taking Down the Error Code
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The hunters flinched and quickly retreated, but the attacks came crashing in like a tidal wave.
"Tch!"
The moment he leaped in, Gilgamesh, who was already in dire straits, used an item without hesitation.
A square cube expanded in an instant, trapping the dragons and blocking the aftermath of their assault. It shattered soon after, unable to hold out, but it bought the hunters enough time to urgently evade.
Boom! Kwaboom!
Roooar—!!
The roaring dragons demolished every building and terrain in the area before vanishing into the ground.
Splaash—
The hunters, pale from the insane power of the wide-area attack, scattered and couldn't muster the courage to charge again for the moment.
Gilgamesh muttered,
"That bastard seems to be staring right at me... must be my imagination, right?"
"No way."
If the eyes were properly gouged out, it would be staring at you.
Credit gave a curt reply as he drew a special spear equipped with a passive ultra-powerful shield spell.
As expected, Error Code, sword in hand, rushed straight at Gilgamesh, and Credit hurriedly blocked its path, swinging his spear.
Boom—!
The instant it was blocked once by the shield, Credit swung his spear, and Gilgamesh, timing it perfectly as Error Code dodged, activated a skill and charged in, slamming down a fist like a flash of light.
Kwaang—!!
[Fire Dragon Apex Strike]
A red fire dragon emerged amid blazing effects and chomped down on Error Code with a boom!
A chain of attacks followed immediately.
[Flame Single Blow]
Just before Gilgamesh could unleash a flurry on the halted Error Code, Credit raised his hand, and at the same time as Flame Single Blow, ranged skills poured in from all directions in Goldbunker's territory.
Kwaboom!
Kwa-kwa-kwaboom!!
The area was wrecked, shrouded in dust, but amid it all, a blue honeycomb shield shimmered around Error Code.
It soon emitted an intense light.
Flash!
"？!"
Credit sensed a surge of rampaging negative emotions and flinched back in shock, but Gilgamesh grimaced and immediately drew his sword, swinging it.
Boom! Boom! Kwaboom!
After several clashes, Gilgamesh landed a ghostly-timed skill-infused kick, sending Error Code flying far away.
Gilgamesh was an exceptional melee DPS who seamlessly blended swordplay and fisticuffs.
A sky-blue dragonfly wing pattern floated behind Error Code's back. It stabilized mid-flight and landed smoothly, then immediately kicked off the ground and charged again.
Screee—
Gilgamesh activated a skill and dashed forward, while hunters from other countries, eyeing the opening, unleashed a barrage.
Fullminak's guild members, mixed in with Goldbunker, fired off support shots relentlessly, but Error Code perfectly defended and dodged everything, engaging the hunters in fierce close-quarters combat.
It was essentially an all-out brawl with Korea, China, and Japan combined.
Credit, who had fallen back momentarily with his spear, muttered with a grim expression.
"What the hell is that cheating monster...?"
It fought disgustingly well.
The overall balance was so ridiculously overpowered it was absurd.
Of course, the fact that Error Code's momentum felt somewhat subdued—compared to others Credit had never seen—was something he couldn't perceive.
As the density of hunters within range increased, Error Code, mid-melee, unleashed another wide-area attack.
Rumble—
The moment the hunters flinched at the quaking sky, Error Code's sword spun smoothly once.
Whooosh,
Slash!
Everyone retreated in haste, but one Chinese hunter got slashed.
"Ugh, that guy."
Gilgamesh used a chain item to yank the Chinese hunter right to him.
He severed the hunter's neck in one stroke to force an emergency logout, then used a speed item to swiftly retreat to Credit's side.
Credit said,
"Why'd you let the Chinese guy live?"
"Hey, creating a debt's not a bad thing."
"As if he'll pay it back properly."
Guild members waiting in the rear hurriedly erected wide-area shields.
Layer upon layer went up quickly.
Kwaboom! Kwa-kwaboom!!
Blue lightning rained down chaotically from the sky.
Credit let out a groan.
"...No idea how we're supposed to beat a monster like that."
This Error Code had been locked in nonstop combat with Chinese and Japanese hunters even before Goldbunker fully committed.
By now, it should have been tiring, but it showed no signs of fatigue, and it kept deploying wide-area attacks at perfect moments to drive the hunters into peril.
Gilgamesh said,
"It's way slower than at first. We gotta aim for those slippery slips instead of straight hits."
As the lightning cleared, atop the rubble of ruined buildings, Error Code's short silver hair whipped in the wind, its blue eyes gleaming as it stared at Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh furrowed his brow.
"But that thing seems weirdly fixated on me."
"Got some skeletons in your closet?"
"Does it look like it?"
It's one I just saw today.
Error Code, who had been fighting solo against hordes of hunters like an unmatched warrior, suddenly twitched and turned its head.
It was looking toward the center.
The moment Error Code exposed a gap, the hunters who'd been waiting pounced.
Attacks flooded in.
Error Code, having briefly lost focus, swiftly raised a shield and leaped aside.
With multiple countries fighting Error Code together, melee turns followed an unspoken order and rules.
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, waiting for the Chinese hunters' turn to end.
'Look at that bastard?'
He didn't know what was happening in the center, but it had half its attention diverted—the razor-sharp aura had noticeably dulled.
It looked the same at a glance, but keen eyes could tell.
Credit sensed it too.
"Its status changed a bit?"
Gilgamesh glanced at the Chinese hunters' situation and ordered Credit,
"Take my turn for me."
"......"
Credit, feeling immense pressure from Error Code's presence, rarely showed reluctance but nodded, guessing what Gilgamesh had in mind.
Credit was a tanky melee DPS who'd only leveled a few healer skills, dumping everything else into close-range damage.
Even in reality, his physical prowess won him hobby sports awards now and then.
Gilgamesh shared the same hobby, which was why the two, with compatible personalities, had been close friends from childhood to now.
The Chinese hunters, having poured out their skills, exchanged glances and fell back.
Credit charged in immediately.
The moment Credit took his turn, Goldbunker's support fire rained down from the rear.
Kwa-kwa-kwaboom—!!
Boom! Boom!
Credit's face twisted savagely as he swung his spear at Error Code.
"Urk!"
Just facing Error Code head-on brought a nauseating revulsion surging up.
How do others even endure it?
Gilgamesh, watching for an opening, noticed Credit's state and rushed in.
Flaaash!
"？!"
Far off, an enormous beam of light pierced the sky, surging high, causing Credit and Error Code to freeze simultaneously.
Stab!
"!!"
Credit flinched again, staring at the sword tip protruding from Error Code's gut.
Error Code's eyes widened hugely.
An opportunity Gilgamesh had inwardly given up on arrived unexpectedly.
Amid the chaotic outburst of Error Code's aura in crisis, Credit gritted his teeth and swung his spear with all his might.
Slash!
Error Code reflexively leaped up to dodge Credit's spear, but Gilgamesh grabbed its head, hurling its sword aside, and twisted its neck with a skill-fueled full-body slam.
Kwa-kwa-kwaboom—!!
A fireworks-like skill effect erupted.
Credit, hastily loading a skill amid the sudden turn, aimed his spear tip.
The hunters held their breath in tension, and Gilgamesh, who had fallen with Error Code, slowly raised his upper body.
He was drenched in blood.
Staying vigilant, Gilgamesh activated another skill and smashed his fist down on Error Code's motionless neck once more.
Kwa—boom!!
Finally catching his breath and standing fully, Gilgamesh swept back his bloodied hair with a bloody hand.
"...Hah. Is it really over?"
It was one hell of a tenacious fighter.
Confirming Error Code's death, hunters everywhere sighed in relief and collapsed where they stood.
Gilgamesh finally looked up.
He took in the sight that had drawn not just Credit and Error Code, but countless hunters' gazes moments ago.
He knew what they were looking at but hadn't glanced away to seize the chance.
Gilgamesh muttered,
"What the hell is that? Saved our asses, though."
The war had abruptly halted, but no one showed signs of resuming.
Then a notification appeared.
『[Babel Tower Alert]
Congratulations! Kaisha has become the first to unlock the Primary Divinity!』
It was a global announcement.
The eyes of all nearby hunters bulged.
Gilgamesh, equally stunned by the familiar name and baffling news, soon grinned.
"That woman's always full of surprises."
Credit, instantly accepting it was thanks to Kaisha whatever it was, looked away and asked Gilgamesh,
"What about the war?"
"Let's rest first."
Gilgamesh plopped down beside Error Code's corpse.
Ding!
『You've defeated Error Code (error code: ⑉⑇_9). Rewards distributed based on combat contribution.』
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow.
"It actually gives rewards? Thought Error Codes dropped nothing."
Good thing he stepped in without too much delay.
Goldbunker's position made spectating ideal, but letting the Chinese hunters all die would've inevitably dragged Korea into the fire—predictable as it was.
Everyone was in a lull.
Of course, if Goldbunker, the most intact force now, jumped back in, they could crush the others swiftly.
China's top rankers, gauging the mood, began slipping away one by one.
Gilgamesh smirked suspiciously at the sight from the corner of his eye, making Credit inwardly click his tongue.
'A strategy, huh.'
Pretend to rest, create a breather, lure China's top rankers away to some urgent external crisis.
Error Code wouldn't have spawned here alone, nor would the nation-vs-nation battles.
Judging by how high-rankers rushed in when Chinese hunters were in peril, China was likely already in fierce fights elsewhere.
Otherwise, all Chinese hunters would've swarmed here en masse.
Credit covered his mouth and said,
"Prepare for battle discreetly."
He issued quiet voice chat orders, and rear guild members began plotting new strategies around the territory systems they'd scouted.
While Goldbunker sharpened their knives in the back, feigning relaxation...
Fullminak guild members flinched.
"Huh, God Kaisha!"
"Kamen."
"Kamen."
"Finally."
"Time to go home."
Notifications popped up before the guild members' eyes, drawing instant reactions from the devout Kaisha cultists.
Guild Master Kaisha, having safely taken down the Error Code, was calling back the Fullminak members she'd dispatched for support.
She was about to kick off something big in the forest center for real.