Chapter 138
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Crisis Staring Us in the Face
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'Have we really gone and pissed it off for real?'
That was the first thought that flashed through his mind.
The voice carried such intense resentment that it almost felt like Garuda would smash through the Tower of Birds and come flying straight at him the moment he laid a hand on the creatures right in front of his eyes.
《No need to worry, Minguk. Isn't it always the useless ones who shout the loudest?》
Ppuu had popped up on his own without being called. It seemed like an attempt at reassurance, but given Ppuu's track record, it didn't offer much comfort.
If anything, it felt more like the little guy was mocking him.
In any case, Garuda's voice echoing in his ears was beyond desperate—it was downright horrifying, sending chills down his spine. It had something to do with its offspring…
'Wait a second. Those aren't clones—they're its kids?'
Minguk looked back at 'Garuda's avatars.' This was the third time they'd run into these things while clearing the dungeon.
The Burly One, the Tail-Feather, and the Baldy. These three monsters made up 'Garuda's avatars,' appearing as the final boss monsters with the exact same appearance regardless of the dungeon's difficulty.
'So we've been peeling open hundreds of eggs that only contained the Burly One, Tail-Feather, and Baldy?'
He'd never seen the real Garuda, so he couldn't confirm the truth.
《They're creations born from its own dark mana. You could call them offspring, sure.》
But Ppuu cleared up Minguk's doubts just like that. Come to think of it, the little guy seemed to know all sorts of random trivia.
- Don't touch what's mine! I curse you! I'll kill you!
The monster's roar reverberated through his head once more, and Minguk turned to his comrades, who were gearing up for battle. After a brief silence, he spoke up.
"Hey, is anyone else hearing weird noises?"
"Huh? Weird noises?"
"Yeah. Like this monster screeching not to touch it or whatever. Am I the only one…?"
He wondered if anyone else was experiencing the same thing. But they all just exchanged puzzled looks. So-jeong, concern etched on her face, asked in response to Minguk's out-of-the-blue question.
"No. Why? Are you hearing something strange?"
"Oh, yeah. This voice keeps telling me not to touch its kids…"
"Its kids? You don't mean…?!"
So-jeong, who had been tilting her head, whipped her gaze toward 'Garuda's avatars.' The only being who could refer to those monsters as its children was Garuda, one of the Twelve Disasters.
"Could Garuda be sending telepathy directly?"
"How would that even work?"
Minguk's words brought serious expressions to everyone's faces.
They had no idea what was happening to Minguk specifically, but any connection to one of the Twelve Disasters was definitely bad news.
"Why is our raid leader the only one hearing it?"
"Yeah, we've smashed those birdbrains too. What's the reason?"
Various hypotheses poured from the heroes' mouths.
The most plausible one was that Minguk's exceptional mana control allowed him to sense Garuda's mana and thus hear its voice. But some had different ideas.
"Maybe even one of the Twelve Disasters recognizes our raid leader's genius talent?"
A cough burst from Minguk's mouth at Yuna's earnest tone. Ye-rin immediately picked up the thread.
"Right? Looks like they know who's a real threat to them. Why else would they bother sending mental links only to our raid leader?"
"They're targeting Minguk? As if. No matter what, I'll protect him."
"Spoken like a live-in girlfriend… Raid leader isn't just yours, you know?"
Starting with Yuna's comment, the conversation had veered off in another direction entirely.
In the meantime, the voice presumed to be Garuda's had gone silent at some point. It must have run out of steam.
'Whatever Garuda says…'
Ignoring his chattering teammates, Minguk turned his gaze back to Garuda's avatars—no, its offspring.
The monsters seemed to be dozing off; Tail-Feather was bobbing its head with little chirping giggles. But the sight didn't strike him as cute in the slightest.
These were foes they had to take down right here, no matter what.
Minguk's eyes shifted to his comrades. They were ready to dive into the raid at a moment's notice, mid-ramble about him.
"We'll wrap this up quick and move on to the next dungeon. Positions same as before. Feather cleanup crew: Choi Yuna and Shin Na-yeon. Tanya's dedicated healer is Kendall. And…"
Minguk paused mid-briefing. Garuda's threat to make him pay kept nagging at him.
Garuda was a monster among monsters, having slaughtered over ten million humans in Southeast Asia alone. It'd be a lie to say he wasn't scared.
"Whoever racks up the highest contribution this try gets a date voucher—good for one date."
Maybe that's why. Having someone by his side back in Hanoi might ease his mind a bit.
Naturally, his comrades cheered at Minguk's offer. Tanya, who'd already enjoyed a date in Hanoi, could barely contain herself.
"Raid starts now. Tanks!"
At Minguk's command, Hyun-ah and Tanya charged forward with shields raised.
The moment they crossed the safe line, Tail-Feather snapped its head up from its bobbing and hurled its feathers at the intruders breaching their territory.
The stiff feathers, sharp enough to pierce steel plating, flew toward the heroes. But they weren't enough to punch through Tanya's massive shield.
Claaang!!!
The giant feathers, faintly glowing with mana on the shield, clattered harmlessly to the ground.
Realizing its attack had been blocked, Tail-Feather let out a furious screech. Soon, all three monster birds stirred in rage and lunged into motion. But only the Burly One and Tail-Feather charged at Tanya.
The bald-headed one among 'Garuda's offspring' was fixated on another hero, eyes blazing.
Clang! Clang!
Baldy's sharp beak and talons struck at the gaps in Hyun-ah's defenses.
True to its rank as a Grade 5 special specimen, Baldy's movements were powerful and ferocious. But Hyun-ah's sword kept exploiting its weaknesses time and again. Reckless strikes that ignored her own peril.
"You monster bastards dare target him?!"
The raid had kicked off, glossing over the issue, but Hyun-ah couldn't shake her worry that the monster's telepathy had reached Minguk.
She feared they might really target him out of wariness for his exceptional abilities.
"Not on my watch…!"
Hyun-ah's feelings for Minguk went beyond mere live-in partner or boyfriend.
In the past few months, she'd seen him as a hero who could end the long war against the darkness monsters. And he was showing tremendous growth to back it up.
What if ten years passed like this? This horrific war might finally end.
"No one touches Minguk!"
For her own happiness—and humanity's sake—Minguk must never fall to the monsters. Not even to a disaster-level one.
"Die!!!"
Mana heavily infused her gripped sword.
The monster's tough talons clashed with Hyun-ah's blade, sparks flying endlessly amid shrill friction. Red blood sprayed into the air amid the hot flames.
But the scratches blooming on Hyun-ah's body vanished the instant Giselle waved her hand. The pain ebbed away just as fast. Her recovery powers erased the wounds in a blink.
"Attack!"
Confirming the tanks had aggro locked, Minguk directed the dealers. At the same time, he activated his recovery abilities and focused on the fight.
"Kieeeek! Kick!"
Garuda's avatars—no, offspring—were undoubtedly powerful monsters.
Numerous raid teams in Hanoi had failed to clear dungeons because of them and retreated. But for teams that had successfully tackled Garuda's avatars, they were manageable foes.
No matter how fiercely the monsters rampaged, everyone was drilled against their repeating patterns.
And Team GGW had cleared Garuda's avatars twice before. Minguk himself had even posted the strategy method on the Hero Community. Reading the monsters' moves was a breeze.
A few days earlier, the Chinese Hero Association's announcement linking the Tower of Birds and Garuda's avatars had become huge news among the raid teams stationed in Hanoi.
It revealed that tackling these special monsters in temporary dungeons could prevent Garuda from emerging and turning Vietnam into a sea of fire—an absolute crisis averted.
- White House presses on with scheduled temporary dungeon clears instead of withdrawal!
- China's Tensense dives into 【A-2】 difficulty temporary dungeon!
Top raid teams with elite power rushed to verify and clear dungeons.
They discovered that Tensense Clan, equipped by the Chinese Hero Association, defeated Garuda's avatars, causing the dark mana linking the temporary dungeon to the Tower of Birds to evaporate.
- Vietnam's savior emerges!
- World Hero Association pledges unlimited support to raid teams, full focus on temporary dungeon clears!
For that reason, all raid teams still in Hanoi—except those who'd already pulled out early—halted repatriation and jumped back into dungeon assaults.
- Why the hell are these things spawning so damn much?!
Clearly, some interaction between the dungeon breaks spawning temporary dungeons and the Tower of Birds housing Garuda was at play. Raid teams hit 'Garuda's avatars' as final bosses once every three clears.
- Hero Pad has the strategy guide, doesn't it? Think before you move! Even GGW, with top 【B-1】 scores, smashes these avatars left and right. If we can't, it's embarrassing!
Compared to same-grade monsters, 'Garuda's avatars' had high specs and whirlwind mobility demanding tricky positioning.
But with Han Minguk's Hero Pad guide, tips from successful clears, and unlimited Revival Stone rushes, temporary dungeons with avatars fell rapidly.
Team GGW had bagged five during the last expedition and was now resting in Hanoi.
It was their final break. The endless temporary dungeon grind was nearing its end thanks to the raid teams' momentum.
Plus, no 【B】-difficulty dungeons remained among the leftovers. Only 【A】-grades, which GGW couldn't tackle with their current power.
'Eh, doesn't matter now.'
The expedition had already yielded massive gains: unique and legendary classes, near-national hero status in Vietnam.
Yesterday, he'd barely fended off Vietnamese officials begging him for a TV spot.
Lounging on the hotel lobby sofa, lost in recent events, someone spotted him and approached with clicking heels.
A woman with healthy golden-brown skin, draped in a loose striped long shirt over a thin bra top and hot pants.
"Never thought you'd snag the top contribution spot…"
Minguk scratched his head at the casually dressed newcomer.
It was Giselle, who'd claimed first place in contributions for the 'Garuda's avatars' clear thanks to Hyun-ah's 'sacrifice'—not that it was one. Giselle had dedicated her healing to Hyun-ah amid her duel with Baldy, racking up huge heal numbers.
Hyun-ah, learning she'd been Giselle's stepping stone, was now curled up in bed clutching her aching stomach, groaning.
"I'm Brazil's top healer prospect, you know. Though my policy of fleeing unwinnable fights hasn't changed."
"But once battle starts, you fight like hell?"
"Obviously. Can't just die at the monsters' hands, right?"
With her answer, Giselle stuck out her tongue. The bead piercing on it sparkled under the hotel lights.