Chapter 167
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: Garuda's Elite Guard
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Defeat Garai
"Minguk! This is an incredible chance to take down Garuda's loyal servant, Garai.
If we miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the war against the darkness monsters ahead will only get that much harder. Plus, defeating Garai means we can thwart one of the Twelve Calamities—Garuda's terrifying scheme—before it even begins.
Minguk, warrior of the great Chaos! Summon your strength and courage! Ppuu will support you with everything I've got for your sake! I'll empty out every last trick up my sleeve!!!"
📍 Objective: Defeat Garai.
⏰ Time Limit: Before Garuda regains its power.
🎁 Rewards: Mana Crystals (xMany), Class Stone (S) - Yggdrasil, 2 Diamond Tickets (Equipment Selection Possible)
"Hmm."
Never mind the quest details—the rewards alone were enough to make my jaw drop. An S-grade Class Stone? As a gamer who'd sunk hours into GGW, my resolve wavered instantly.
"Is something wrong, sir?"
The battalion commander eyed me curiously at my reaction.
I brushed it off with a "nothing's wrong" and sat down, pretending to mull over whether to accept the mission. In reality, my mind was laser-focused on the quest.
The other soldiers in the command tent, including the battalion commander, all waited on my answer. Their next orders depended on what Team GGW decided to do.
'An S-grade class...'
I pulled up my tablet for a quick search, but there was zero info on Yggdrasil. Right on cue, Ppuu popped up an explanation.
"Allow me to explain briefly. Yggdrasil, the World Tree, is a legendary healer class. Its standout feature? The special skill called Revival, of course."
'Revival?'
The word hit me with a familiar vibe. Gamers knew it all too well.
And sure enough, the mobile VR game GGW that I'd played had a skill by the exact same name.
Naturally, the Revival skill—aka Combat Resurrection—was a raid essential. I'd blown through countless free summons just to snag a hero with it back in the day.
"Exactly. It revives allies who die in combat. With caveats: it only works in dungeons with Revival Stones active, and only on those killed by dungeon monsters. Powerful skill, lots of limits."
'Combat resurrection, huh?'
"...Huh? What's that?"
'Never mind. You wouldn't get it.'
In short, a skill only good for trial runs.
And having run countless raids, I knew its value inside out. Still, resurrecting the actual dead in a world that wasn't a game? Wild. Come to think of it, those Revival Stones were straight-up broken.
'That's probably how humanity's holding on against the darkness monsters.'
Anyway, slapping an S-grade on Yggdrasil made total sense with just that one skill. But then a thought struck me.
'Hey, you? Didn't you say it was risky to offer rewards with the Twelve Calamities sniffing around?'
I glared at the message window, and Ppuu churned out a string of sweat-drop emojis before responding.
"This reward comes at great personal risk to me. Normally, I couldn't offer it."
'Explain.'
I shot a mental question at Ppuu. It felt like the little guy was overselling, so I needed details.
"We creations of Chaos monitor the Twelve Calamities, but they sense us to some degree too—like angels and demons. We're existential enemies."
'And if they catch on...'
"All-out war. I'd get my ass handed to me, obviously."
Ppuu's deadpan response drew a dry laugh from me. No wonder the quest kept harping on "support"—this thing could only back me up, nothing more.
"That's why I can't reveal myself in China—Byakon's got eyes everywhere. If he catches me... might be hell. That guy's into forcing his filth on males too."
"Fuck."
Ppuu's words had curses spilling from my lips. The thought alone gave me chills.
"Vietnam's different, though."
'How so?'
"This Break was Garuda's desperate push, burning all its void mana to force it. It'll be years before it moves again.
In other words, Garuda's betting everything on this shot. That's why its minion Garai showed up."
I nodded along as Ppuu explained. I'd thought humans were the only ones desperate against the darkness monsters, but even these Twelve Calamity beasts were in the same boat. Sounded like Byakon and Garuda had teamed up for this Break.
"Vietnam's Garuda's turf. The Twelve Calamities hate even allies encroaching on their domains. So here, we dodge the others' gaze—except Garuda's."
The message window wobbled before reforming.
"That's why I can offer you this reward."
'Garuda's weakened, so you're fine risking exposure?'
"More precisely, erasing Garai is worth that risk."
Long story short, to gain the upper hand in the war against the darkness monsters, we had to take out Garai now. Stop the spread right here by heading to Vietnam ASAP.
But Ppuu's pitch had one massive flaw.
'You do know Team GGW's only cleared up to A-9 difficulty dungeons, right? And Garai's Garuda's right-hand monster...'
Had to be a nightmare from at least an S-grade dungeon.
No way we could win with our current power—trial or not. AoE blasts would shatter Revival Stones one by one. No point in leading.
Ppuu replied with cocky confidence—or fancy script, anyway.
"Don't worry. I've got ways."
Not super reassuring. But what other choice did I have?
'It's not like I can log out of this world.'
The shit had already hit the fan—China and Vietnam were in chaos. Just look at the soldiers around me.
Even if I hunkered down in Korea, would this blow over? If not, and Vietnam fell to Garuda, regaining strength before coming for me? Would I regret not going now?
After agonizing, I finally thought:
'Qoo♡, come out and cough up another quest.'
No helping it.
Might as well milk this for all it was worth. At minimum, snag another Yggdrasil-level reward.
"Vietnam?"
"Crazy... Is the real war finally kicking off?"
The team looked rattled hearing about the Dungeon Break in Vietnam too. But some women raised their voices with fighting spirit.
"We have to go!"
"Yeah! We gotta wipe out every last darkness monster!"
Hyun-ah and Yuna. I'd expected Tanya or Sojeong to step up, but this caught me off guard. Especially Yuna, eyes blazing—it stirred something odd. Come to think of it, she'd given off similar vibes before. Must be some backstory.
"So, when do we head out?"
Sojeong asked.
"Dawn tomorrow, we fly to Beijing. Military transport from there to Hanoi."
Then set up in Hoa Binh, southwest of Hanoi, to tackle the temporary dungeon.
Not just Team GGW—nine raid teams in Singyung County, including France's Imperial Guard, were Vietnam-bound. Even the planes ferrying teams to China were rerouting to Hanoi upon hearing the news.
High-hero-power nations were scrambling new raid teams for China too.
'One exception, though.'
Japan—the only one whining about lacking defenders for home soil.
True or not, the Chinese battalion commander had vented plenty of rage over it.
Word spreading within hours of the Break? World Hero Association's efficiency was no joke.
R's Clan leader Oh Hyun-jung was pissed first about Team GGW's Vietnam detour. Freshly licensed promising heroes getting overworked? She vowed to squeeze the Chinese and Vietnamese governments plus the Association for big compensations.
"Rest up tonight, everyone. Once we're in Hanoi, we might be grinding till we drop."
The team nodded, surprisingly upbeat.
"Man, what a relief."
"Yeah, we drank and partied hard today. We'll regret it in Vietnam, sure..."
"Better than grinding here without rest and then dragging to Vietnam. Let's crash."
I smirked at their chatter. Today's break must've hit the spot.
Next dawn, Team GGW rolled out with the escort battalion to Beijing Airport. Tensions high—transport planes idled ready.
Team GGW touched down in Hanoi and headed to Hoa Binh under Chinese and Vietnamese military escort.
En route, a monster pack ambushed, but modern firearms lit them up quick. Small fry made it easy.
"Large ones? Even a platoon with machine guns gets wiped in seconds."
Said the soldier driving our armored GGW bus.
Large monsters needed tank battalions to tank hits or hero tanks and dealers.
As we rolled on, groans escaped me.
"...Fuck."
Bodies littered the streets—clearly monster kills.
Gut-wrenching horror. Soldiers and heroes clenched jaws, faces grim but hardened.
Ppuu's window appeared.
"Clear the dungeon fast once in Hanoi. I'll lure Garai out based on your performance."
I nodded gravely, keeping calm.
Truth be told, those dead had no ties to me. Total strangers.
But ignoring scenes like that? Nah. Better to act now than regret later if friends—or I—ended up the same.