Chapter 162
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Omen
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"It's awfully quiet."
"Yeah? I figured there'd be crowds of civilians fleeing or something..."
Unlike the chaos that had erupted near Chengde City when the Dungeon Break hit, Beijing felt surprisingly peaceful. Considering the distance between Chengde and Beijing, it was almost unbelievable.
Even so, the soldiers and tanks visible everywhere you looked, along with the heavy tension hanging in the air, couldn't be hidden...
"They're used to long wars by now. And they know that if Beijing falls into disorder, it'll make things even harder for the front lines where the expansion is spreading."
"...I see."
Kim So-jeong's words made everyone's expressions grow somber. They all wished this war would end as soon as possible, even if just by a day.
They had parted ways with the Ra Yunian Clan members at the airport. The clan was heading off to provide support somewhere other than Chengde.
"This is the place."
A Chinese soldier in digital pixel camouflage combat gear pointed to a warehouse. A platoon-sized unit was standing guard around the massive building.
The soldier who had spoken earlier turned to Minguk and the GGW raid team's heroes.
"You'll select your weapons and armor here, then head to Xinglong County. Korea's GGW raid team will primarily tackle the [A-8] and [A-9] difficulty dungeons there."
"What about the monsters?"
"The 3182nd Patrol Battalion will provide escort. Xinglong County currently has the 38th Group Army stationed there, so it's reasonably secure. You won't need to worry too much about monsters."
Xinglong County, located south of Chengde, was firmly under Chinese military control.
However, Chengde and the areas north of it sounded like absolute hellscapes. It seemed the Chinese army had mobilized group armies, along with Russian forces stationed nearby, to contain the flood of monsters pouring out.
Checking on his tablet during the flight, Minguk had seen that the Korean military was also deploying a division-scale force to the front within three days. The atmosphere was worlds apart from the expansion in Vietnam.
"In that case..."
Ye-rin, who had asked the question, nodded as if she understood, and Minguk did the same.
If this were the China from his old world... he'd have dismissed more than half of what she said. But this world's China was at least conscientious. After taking hits from darkness monsters for decades, everyone seemed to have turned a bit more decent. Well, Korea was no different, it seemed.
"Alright, pick your gear carefully. Oh... you can only choose one engraved item, so make it count."
Minguk's gaze turned to his team members. He said that, but he wasn't particularly worried about their choices.
They were all heroes with years of experience. No one knew better than they did what gear suited them.
Anyway, as raid leader, his job was to maximize their specs with the new gear and take down monsters.
'For higher raids, Tanya should be the main tank over Hyun-ah. Phoenix Knight has superior aggro control, but Tanya's defense is higher... Dealer lineup looks solid. Yuna's skills lag behind the others, so special duties for her.'
Compared to past tries, their roles wouldn't change much.
The only difference would be his leadership in responding to monster patterns. But Minguk was confident in his skills—he didn't think they'd fail to clear any monster, no matter how long it took.
"Let's move out."
With weapons selected, Minguk and the team boarded an armored bus under military escort, heading toward Xinglong County.
BOOM!CRASH!!!
En route, explosions and vibrations rocked them from all sides.
Evidently, battles were raging nearby. But the 3182nd Patrol Battalion escorting the GGW team simply detoured around the fighting and pressed on into Xinglong.
"...Shouldn't we help out?"
In the midst of the commotion, Choi Yuna asked cautiously.
"If we should, the soldiers escorting us would've reacted first, right? The fact they're ignoring it means handling the temporary dungeons is way more urgent than fighting those monsters."
Kim So-jeong's explanation wiped the tension back onto everyone's faces.
Ignoring allies in a situation like that meant things were worse than they'd imagined.
A moment later, a heavy sigh came from the back. No need to check who—it was probably Giselle.
"We'll go on foot from here."
At the commander's words, Minguk stepped off the bus. He surveyed the scene ahead and let out a low groan.
The vast plain was dyed purple—the corruption from the expansion. Familiar portals dotted the tainted land.
"Focus on the [A-8] and [A-9] difficulties marked on your tablet. As for the high-priority dungeons..."
"We know what to do. We'll hold them down until support arrives, regardless of difficulty."
"Understood. Please double-check your Revival Stone count."
Minguk nodded at the commander's reminder and checked his stones.
520.
Including what the clan brought and what the Chinese Heroes' Association provided. A decent number—not too many, not too few.
As he checked, gunfire erupted from beyond the hill, followed by an explosion. Small skirmishes were happening nearby too.
The escort battalion was setting up defensive positions while staying alert.
"No need to drag this out. Let's head into a dungeon, eat inside, and start clearing."
Minguk said this, leaving the soldiers behind. While the military held the outside, the heroes had to clear the dungeons.
"Now's the time to nail it!"
"Got it!"
Clank!
Yuna loaded a massive harpoon—the size of an adult woman—into the crossbow. Her eyes darted quickly. In her pupils, a wyvern soared into the sky with a roar.
A Rank 6 monster known as Garai's Elite Wyvern.
'If it flies all the way up...'
It would unleash a devastating breath attack on the raid.
A threat that required AoE shields and healers pouring their souls into healing to survive. Yuna's job was to drop it before it reached that point.
Grind!
The rusty mechanisms ground as the crossbow tensed.
It was heavy, but mana made it easy to handle. Yuna traced the monster's flight path in her mind and held her breath.
Firing time.
Thwang!
Roooar!!!
The harpoon rocketed out, piercing the wyvern's shoulder clean through.
Cheers erupted from the team. Mana-laced attacks rained down on the falling beast.
Yuna grabbed the bow from her back and fired arrows at the crashing wyvern. Ye-rin's voice came through her earpiece.
"Archers are on another level, huh? Hundred percent accuracy."
"Ehem."
"Yuna carried this raid. The strategy guide said the crossbow's hit rate decides everything—and it really does."
Shoulders puffing with pride at the praise, Yuna kept her cool and nocked arrows faster.
The GGW team's first dungeon, a [A-9] called "Wyvern's Gorge," was packed with flying monsters, as the name implied.
Minguk and the team had memorized senior heroes' strategy info and adapted quickly, racking up victories.
A few Revival Stones shattered in succession, but they had no time to fret. Speed was what mattered, not the stones' cost.
Still, facing new monsters led to mistakes adapting to boss patterns.
But thanks to the Chinese gear, they avoided wipes unless it was total annihilation. Specs were carrying them somewhat.
'They're adapting faster than expected.'
Mistakes from one try vanished by the next—their focus was sharp. They were getting the hang of raids and his leadership.
In the raid games Minguk used to play, it was all about covering for weak links. With skills like this, the raid leader had nothing left to wish for.
"Whoa, a green crystal!"
The reward chest after the final boss dropped a green crystal amid rapid kills.
A Spirit Crystal. The rest were junk—unusable now, and processing wouldn't make them special.
Minguk pointed at it.
"Mind if I take this one first?"
"Of course."
"Do whatever, Minguk."
Everyone agreed.
He'd led them to clear, and it was just a green crystal—common from Rank 6 specials.
Crackle! Zap zap!
Sparks flew from the green stone in Minguk's hand. Moments later, the mana drained, leaving a plain rock.
Introspecting, he felt a slight mana boost.
Rough math: Nearly 200 greens to hit 6-star. Upgrading the whole team? Ages away.
Minguk tossed the stone aside and checked Ppuu's quest.
Daily: Destroy 1 dungeon for 1 green; 3 for 3. This one was quest reward.
'So the last monster drop was nothing, huh.'
No regrets, though.
From Wyvern's Gorge: Three crystals total—Tanya one, Shin Na-yeon one, Minguk one. Solid for [A-9].
As they exited, the portal crumpled and vanished—dungeon closed.
But more portals dotted the area. The escort battalion had fought monsters; corpses littered the ground.
Minguk reported the clear on his tablet, then addressed the team.
"First day—let's casually knock out three."
"Huh...? In one day?"
Giselle's eyes widened.
This wasn't some pushover; [A-9] dungeons usually took a full day each.
A hand clapped her shoulder—Russia's Rampaging Tank, Tanya.
"Give up. We had similar runs in Vietnam, remember?"
"...Ah. Damn. I didn't join this raid for a guy hero."
Too late for regrets.
Grumbling aside, Giselle knew the stakes. Without more hero action, this land would become monster territory.
Like the Amazon her mother had died holding. After a ten-minute breather, GGW headed to the next temporary dungeon.
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