Chapter 222
Chapter 222
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: Iron Giant's Charge
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Park Min-seong's Iron Giant charged forward.
Its speed wasn't particularly fast.
But its massive weight alone made it a lethal weapon.
Boom—!
Like bowling pins scattering.
The Ancient Orcs that collided with the Iron Giant tumbled down in heaps.
That single charge had turned dozens of them into mincemeat.
But the Iron Giant wasn't invincible.
Faced with over two thousand of the massive beasts, it had no choice but to halt its rush.
Raaargh—!
The Ancient Orcs, having witnessed their kin's deaths right before their eyes, began unleashing their fury toward the Iron Giant.
Crunch—!
Crack—!
Its body, forged from solid iron, began to crumble bit by bit.
The Iron Giant thrashed to escape, but there were too many enemies.
Swept away by the tsunami-like wave of Ancient Orcs, it finally collapsed.
Roooar—!
Victorious roars echoed out.
But it was far too early to celebrate.
"'Summon.'"
With Kim Da-hye's soft voice, a Tomahawk plummeted from above their heads.
Kaboboom—!
An enormous explosion erupted.
Even Seo Woo-jin had been shocked by its power when he first saw it.
Though it hadn't left so much as a scratch on him, these Ancient Orcs were no Seo Woo-jin.
--!!
Their screams were drowned out entirely by the blast.
They simply turned into piles of black ash, dying without even realizing how they perished.
"Pour it on them!"
At Kang Byung-gyu's shout, Park Min-seong's hands flew into motion.
From who-knows-where he'd hidden them, dozens of glass vials soared through the air and shattered amid the Ancient Orcs.
Psssh—!
Status Ailment Potions: Poison burst open, releasing yellow smoke, while Attribute Change Potions transformed Kim Da-hye's explosion into ice.
Crackle—!
Flames turned to ice in an instant, freezing the Ancient Orcs' ankles in place.
Park Min-seong's other pre-made potions tormented them further.
Shatter—!
One Ancient Orc, with half its body frozen solid, exploded into shards under Kim Woo-ram's spear.
He used no special skills.
Likely to conserve mana, he thrust purely with physical strength.
Even so, none could block Kim Woo-ram's spear.
One per strike.
Heads or hearts pierced clean through, they dropped lifelessly.
'They're all doing great.'
Seo Woo-jin nodded.
Faced with such overwhelming numbers, it would be natural to falter, yet his teammates showed no hesitation.
Instead, they moved with maximum efficiency to conserve stamina and mana.
Traces of their extensive preparation for this battle were evident.
They were far better than Seo Woo-jin had anticipated.
'At this rate...'
He ran a quick calculation.
'A bit short, though.'
Unfortunately, victory with just the team seemed unlikely.
"Well, this should be enough for now."
He wouldn't need to step in anytime soon.
Of course, that didn't mean he was just sitting back with folded arms.
'Not on my watch.'
Seo Woo-jin's finger twitched.
With a splat, one Ancient Orc's head burst open.
The one lunging at Kim Woo-ram's opening crumpled, headless.
They'd have handled it fine left alone, but any momentary imbalance could spell danger.
Kim Woo-ram wasn't fully polished yet, so he showed such gaps often.
Thanks to that, Seo Woo-jin offered subtle aid with minimal interference.
'This can't be all they've got.'
He had no idea what the other team had planned.
But Seo Woo-jin was certain this wasn't their full preparation—not just herding Ancient Orcs at them.
It had to be more.
'Not with killing intent this thick.'
This wasn't the aura of someone just trying to make trouble.
It was the raw intent to kill.
The other teammates hadn't noticed yet.
The Ancient Orcs they faced radiated their own murderous aura.
But Seo Woo-jin, at the pinnacle of transcendence, discerned it clearly.
'Kim Tae-jin... was it?'
One of the elite friends who hung around with Baek Si-woo and Seong Yu-ra.
Having crossed paths several times, Seo Woo-jin remembered his presence vividly.
And the killing intent emanated from that very source.
'Revenge?'
It made sense.
After all, he'd killed his friend Seong Yu-ra.
No matter the justification, he could understand the pain of losing a friend in an instant.
But that didn't mean he'd stand by idly.
The guy was endangering not just him, but the whole team.
'Would've been better if you'd come at me alone.'
Then he might've let it slide, to some extent.
Kim Tae-jin posed no threat to him.
But dragging the team into it? Unforgivable.
He wouldn't kill him, but he'd make sure he never pulled this crap again.
And the simplest way was fear.
'When do you plan to start?'
Seo Woo-jin tracked not just the Ancient Orcs, but every hero from the other team.
No one nearby could evade his open Divine Dragon Eye.
He observed them all, Kim Tae-jin included, as if peering into his palm.
Thud—!
He was aiding his team and scanning the surroundings when it happened.
A glint flashed in Seo Woo-jin's eyes.
'He's moving.'
More precisely, Kim Tae-jin—who'd been watching from afar—sprang into action.
But the other heroes, unlike him, stood frozen in place, doing nothing.
'Do the others not even know?'
That seemed to be the case.
They might've joined in just to harass a bit, unaware of more.
Only Kim Tae-jin knew the full plan.
'Is that how it is?'
This made things even easier.
He could handle all five teams at once, let alone one guy?
Frankly, it was almost laughable.
Kim Tae-jin had even witnessed Seo Woo-jin and Reina's clash in Jinhan firsthand.
He had to know how strong Seo Woo-jin was.
Yet he acted this recklessly? Baffling.
'I can ask him later when I catch him.'
Seo Woo-jin didn't dwell on it.
When the guy made his move, he'd block it and subdue him.
A brief moment passed.
Kim Tae-jin reached his desired spot and halted.
Then he began channeling vast mana.
Worthy of S-rank?
His mana was immense.
It dwarfed even his A-rank teammates.
'As expected of the elites.'
The Empire had good reason to hail them as the Five Saviors.
Pure power-wise, the name fit.
Though now only three remained, so Three Saviors it was.
Seo Woo-jin watched Kim Tae-jin's actions closely.
'Is that his flame magic?'
An S-rank Pyromancer.
A class specializing in devastating fire magic.
Seo Woo-jin hadn't seen it personally, but rumors said Kim Tae-jin's spells could level a mountain.
He believed it.
Given the rank and level, anything less would be odd.
'Target is...'
Through Divine Dragon Eye, he predicted the spell's aim from the incoming data.
'Me.'
A smirk tugged at his lips.
Impressive magic.
He could feel it from the mana Kim Tae-jin exuded.
But Seo Woo-jin scoffed inwardly.
'Really? This is a joke.'
Did he truly think Seo Woo-jin wouldn't notice or block it?
Seo Woo-jin sighed to himself.
At that moment, a massive flame shot from Kim Tae-jin's hand.
The power within was colossal.
One spell could've wiped out half the remaining Ancient Orcs.
'Can't let that happen.'
His team was locked in fierce combat nearby.
If that flame reached him, they'd get caught in the blast.
Unlike him, they'd take heavy damage.
'Block it before it explodes.'
Shing—
Karaniel appeared after a long while.
Tap—
Seo Woo-jin drew it and lightly kicked off the ground.
Whoosh—!
His form soared.
Faster than his teammates could perceive.
In an instant, he arrived before the oncoming flame.
"Begone."
Karaniel slashed vertically.
Slash—!
The massive mana forming the flame cleaved apart effortlessly.
Like slicing tofu, the fire split and detonated.
Kaboomb—!!!
An explosion as if the world crumbled.
Light blazed, turning night to day.
"W-What?!"
"Uwaaah!"
Only now realizing what happened, his teammates screamed.
The Ancient Orcs were just as shocked, trembling violently.
Combat halted as all eyes turned skyward.
Flaming debris rained down like fire.
"Defend!"
Kang Byung-gyu shouted upon seeing it, and the team activated their defensive skills.
But the Ancient Orcs couldn't even think to block.
No, they couldn't have anyway.
Even mere explosion fragments carried mana like a catastrophe to them.
'Hmm.'
Seo Woo-jin's brow furrowed slightly.
A skill of tremendous power.
But doubt lingered.
'Is this really it?'
Just this?
Kim Tae-jin knew some of Seo Woo-jin's strength.
He had to realize one spell wouldn't harm him.
As Seo Woo-jin pondered, his senses caught something.
Scree—!
Far faster than the flame he'd just bisected.
So swift and stealthy, even Seo Woo-jin widened his eyes.
A tiny flame, mere finger-sized.
Yet its power rivaled the previous explosion.
And it rocketed straight at Kang Byung-gyu.
'Damn...'
Seo Woo-jin whirled around.
"You son of a bitch!"