Chapter 163
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Omen
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It had been two days since the Dungeon Break erupted.
Leading the charge was America's strongest raid team, 'White House,' boasting a 9-star tank named Miriam. They were joined by England's premier Knights of the Round Table, France's Imperial Guard—who had racked up impressive victories against the Hordes of Darkness—and Russia's Red Chariot raid team. The world's top raid teams were arriving in Beijing one after another.
The Hero Association's swift response was proof of just how dire the situation was. Raid teams from across the globe were mobilizing en masse.
It wasn't just the raid teams, either. Even regions like Southeast Asia and Africa, where hero forces were too thin for proper support, sent their militaries to make their presence known. They needed to ensure they'd receive aid from the World Hero Association later on.
Nations bordering China, such as Korea, Japan, and Russia, were frantically assembling raid teams to head there as well.
Memoria's 1st Army had already arrived in China, and other ranker clans had decided to send their 1st and 2nd Armies as reinforcements.
Korea and Russia, which shared borders near Chengde City, were going all-in, dispatching about 30% of their domestic raid teams to China.
Despite widespread concerns, Korea's Hero Association Chair, Lee Si-yeon, quelled dissent from politicians and various clans to push her decision through. She desperately hoped the outbreak could be contained within China.
And the public backed Si-yeon's call. The Dungeon Break that had ravaged Korea a decade ago still haunted them as a nightmare.
"How's the situation?"
"We've managed to halt the monsters' spread for now."
Everyone sighed in relief at the soldier's report. Then, a stunning beauty with bright blonde hair and vivid red lips posed another question.
"What about the temporary dungeons?"
A Chinese soldier with stars on his shoulder snapped to attention at Miriam Roth's question, White House's main tank.
"Numerous raid teams are prioritizing the mid-level dungeons with higher monster counts."
Most of China's raid teams were concentrated around Chengde City. The nation was throwing everything it had at this Dungeon Break.
"However, for dungeons of A-5 difficulty and above, more are spawning than we're destroying."
"Hmm..."
"With multiple breaks overlapping, that's hardly surprising..."
Adel, the raid leader from Knights of the Round Table, nodded in understanding.
Multiple Dungeon Breaks happening simultaneously was a rare occurrence, even after years of war against the Hordes of Darkness.
"So, where do we come in?"
"Knights of the Round Table, please tackle dungeons of A-3 difficulty and higher starting from south of Chengde City. We'll support you with raid teams made up of our mid-to-upper-tier heroes."
The operational plan came together quickly.
Main raid teams would handle the high-difficulty dungeons while support teams cleared the rest of the temporary dungeons.
That was when assignments began rolling out to the world's top-ranked raid teams.
"France's Imperial Guard, start from Xinglong County south of Chengde City and work your way up. Seventeen raid teams, including one from Korea, are already handling mid-level dungeons there."
"Korea? They moved fast. Kang! Know any of them?"
At the Chinese general's remark, Chloe Castel, the dealer from Imperial Guard, turned to the East Asian woman on her right with a friendly tone.
The woman she addressed was Kang Chae-young, Korea's No. 1 dealer ranker and Memoria's representative at the meeting. She and Chloe had synced up several times during the war against the Hordes of Darkness.
"Beats me? I don't know every raid team in Korea."
Chae-young shrugged, her expression incredulous at Chloe's question. Was she serious? Korea might not match France's hero power, but it had dozens, hundreds of raid teams.
"Really? What's Memoria's ops zone? West of Chengde?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Your country's got a team there, right? Wanna swap sectors? Imperial Guard and Memoria 1st Army are about equal in skill, so no big issue."
Chae-young couldn't fathom Chloe's intent, but the suggestion dripped with mischief.
"Pass."
Chae-young shot it down flat.
Swapping ops zones on their own would disrespect the Chinese military, and chitchatting about it just because a home-team raid was there wasn't appropriate. Would they even cross paths?
'A Korean raid team already in China, though?'
Still, curiosity piqued about their identity. Chae-young turned to the soldier.
"Xinglong County, you said? Any idea what Korean raid team's there?"
"Yes. GGW Raid Team."
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the room the moment he spoke.
GGW—everyone knew it was the team led by that Han Minguk. Tales of the rising GGW Raid Team and its male hero had reached even these elite heroes.
Chae-young's eyes widened too, though for different reasons.
'Who the hell's leading Rose Shield now?! Are they insane?!'
She acknowledged Minguk's talent—they'd raided together.
But he was a rookie hero whose license ink hadn't even dried. Talented or not, he was mid-tier at best.
Chae-young whipped her head left.
"Chloe, about that swap earlier..."
"Nope. Time limit's passed. And GGW's the one with that male hero as raid leader, right? Been dying to meet him. Might as well now."
Chae-young slumped as Chloe cut her off with a grin.
'Should've taken her up on it...'
She regretted not turning back time.
Minguk and GGW Raid Team took minimal breaks while relentlessly clearing temporary dungeons.
They were smashing three or more A-8 or A-9 difficulty dungeons a day—a brutal pace. The monsters and dungeon lengths were worlds apart from the low-level ones they'd tackled in Vietnam.
Yet not one hero complained.
The raid leader, who bore the heaviest burden, pressed on silently. How could they whine when even the man they were supposed to protect endured?
They had pride, after all.
And the grind yielded rewards.
Clearing dungeons netted several Green Crystals daily, converting to mana and inching them toward 6-star status.
"Hmmm..."
During a brief rest after a clear, Minguk opened his Hero Codex. As raid leader, it linked to his subordinates' stats too.
'Not bad progress.'
He nodded lightly. The nonstop frenzy had paid off.
Daily quests added four extra mana crystals a day, fueling massive growth—dungeons didn't always shower crystals like fountains.
"Ugh, I'm beat. Can't even lift a finger."
"We've still gotta hit one more dungeon to finish today's schedule."
"Yeah? Na-yeon sunbae? Sigh, craving something tasty before we dive... Anything? Combat rations are getting old."
"Hmmm... Trade with the Chinese troops?"
"Oh? Good idea?"
Minguk overheard Yuna and Shin Na-yeon chatting behind him.
Yuna was older, but Na-yeon was the senior hero, making their dynamic a tad awkward. Still, the early-20s and teen girls' banter evoked a weary private's vibe.
'Not quite.'
Actually, the world's 'last-year soldiers' were just early-20s kids too.
Glancing back, they were seriously trading rations with Chinese troops—and grimacing at the results.
Minguk watched with pity.
Hero-issue rations were specially made; no way they matched the troops' hasty grub. Then Hyun-ah's voice came from beside him.
"What're you staring at?"
"Oh, checking mana status. Figuring how many more crystals to hit 6-star."
"...How long?"
"At this rate? One, two months?"
Hyun-ah scowled and waved him off dismissively.
Who could blame her? Spinning like this for a month would drive anyone mad—even hardcore gamers would balk at the schedule.
Compared to typical hero raid cycles, it'd be a shock.
But this was the grind to power-level—and clear high-end dungeons.
"6-star in two years since licensing... They'd call it a novel if they heard."
Hyun-ah shook her head in despair. Minguk consoled her.
"Heroes thrive in chaos. Hang in there—just a bit longer."
"Ugh..."
She sighed, turning to him, lips twitching like she wanted to ask something. But no—she just sighed again and looked down.
"Once this outbreak's over, we're resting a full week. No arguments."
"Yeah, yeah."
He nodded at her cute threat. Then, distant dust clouds caught his eye.
'Monsters?'
The thought flashed—but the Chinese troops' calm reaction eased his tension. Sure enough, it was a massive force, brigade-sized.
"Headed to Chengde?"
Minguk nodded at Hyun-ah's question.
No confirmation, but that scale screamed Chengde. Then something odd: a bulletproof bus under heavy escort.
And it was... French?
Flagged with liberty, equality, fraternity in blue, white, red.
'French hero with brigade-level escort...'
Must be a big-name raid team. Curiosity stirred as it approached. Hyun-ah would know better.
"Looks like a French raid team. Ring any bells?"
"Imperial Guard. Chloe Castel's squad—no doubt."
Hyun-ah answered confidently before he finished, then launched into their exploits against the Hordes of Darkness. Legendary history.
As he nodded along, the armored bus—likely carrying Imperial Guard—halted right at GGW's rest spot.