Chapter 28
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Steel Hounds' Counterattack (2)
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"Damn it, damn it!"
Jinwoo spat out the curse as he kicked Falcon hard in the flank.
"Kieek!"
Taking it as his master's whip urging him to run faster, Falcon pushed his speed to the limit.
Blue energy bullets poured from behind, tearing past his ears.
A few grazed Falcon's thick feathers, narrowly missing.
'They're definitely top-class mounts! To keep up with a Pellicon like this!'
The Steel Hounds' pursuit went beyond tenacious—it bordered on madness.
Those bastards moved like tireless machines.
There was no winning a straight speed contest on flat ground.
Fortunately, massive shadows began to loom on the horizon ahead of Jinwoo.
Through the sandstorm, faint geometric stone structures rose into view!
Remnants of artificial constructions that no one could mistake for natural formations.
'Almost there.'
The abandoned Atlas ruins.
The Steel Hounds' commander spotted the distant ruins as well.
Of course, to him, they just looked like a pile of rocks.
A cruel smile of assured victory crept across his lips.
"The bastard's run into a dead end! That place will be his grave! Everyone, tighten the encirclement!"
The hounds spread out wide to either side, like drawing a massive noose around Jinwoo, closing in.
There was no escape now.
Heading into the ruins was the only option left.
'Yeah, a grave it is. The question is whose.'
Jinwoo spurred Falcon toward the ruins' entrance—a spot where a massive statue had collapsed into an archway.
The moment Falcon passed through, he rolled off the saddle, landing on the ground as he shouted,
"Falcon, get out of here! Wait for me from afar!"
At his master's sudden command, Falcon let out a hesitant cry.
"Hurry! That's an order!"
At Jinwoo's firm shout, Falcon regretfully glanced back once before vanishing over the wasteland along the ruins' outer wall in an instant.
Jinwoo was alone now.
'Stay calm. This is where it gets important.'
Soon after, the Steel Hounds' vanguard reached the ruins' entrance.
"The rat's finally trapped itself!"
Anticipating victory, they dismounted.
"Where the hell is this place, anyway? Never seen these ruins before..."
"We'll report the location once we've caught the bastard."
At the leader's gesture, the squad members stepped into the shadowed ruins without a hint of hesitation.
Clang!
The sound of metal and leather clashing.
Low boot steps echoed through the ancient space.
"Search team, left flank. Assault team, central path. Target is to be taken dead or alive!"
The leader's low command reverberated through the ruins.
To their eyes, this was just a heap of crumbling, abandoned stone.
But the place the Steel Hounds had entered was about to become a horrific trap.
'Alright, hunting time.'
Deep in the ruins' darkness.
Jinwoo gripped his Infinite Ammo Pistol tighter, hidden behind a pillar.
From now on, this was his hunting ground.
And sure enough, the Steel Hounds moved like the well-trained pros they were.
One team sliced through the dark with lanterns, while the other advanced like shadows, muzzles trained ahead in the light.
Not a trace of hesitation or fear.
'Pros indeed. Good thing I didn't fight them head-on... but that makes this even easier.'
Nothing was more predictable prey than enemies following doctrine to the letter.
Jinwoo darted silently between the maze of pillars and crumbled walls.
A perfect 3D map of the ruins unfolded in his mind.
Where to hide for a blind spot.
Which floor tiles would make noise if stepped on.
And what to activate!
"Central corridor, clear."
"Moving into the second left passage. No signs of him."
The Steel Hounds' hushed murmurs faintly reached him off the walls.
Judging that Jinwoo had fled deep inside, they were being drawn further in like mice into a trap.
Jinwoo crouched behind a fallen statue.
Two squad members searching the left passage entered his sight—perfect backs exposed. Prime opportunity.
Red Eye Activated!
Phut! Phut!
The pistol spat silently.
Pcing!
As expected, the bullets vanished on impact with their barriers.
But a barrage followed.
Crosshairs dotted their bodies instinctively, and the shields shattered under the onslaught.
"Khek!"
The two squad members screamed as they collapsed.
At the sound, nearby members whipped their muzzles around.
"Squad 2! What happened?!"
"Ambush! 10 o'clock, behind the statue!"
Pa-pa-pat!
Blue mana bullets turned the statue he'd hidden behind into Swiss cheese.
"Takes time to finish them for sure."
In that hail of bullets, Jinwoo hurled himself into the shadows, rolling to the next cover.
"Damn it, like a rat!"
The Steel Hounds scattered, cursing.
"Everyone halt! Maintain formation! Don't fall for his bait!"
From a high vantage, Jinwoo overlooked them, preparing the next phase.
'Time for the main event.'
Confirming the entire pursuit force had entered the ruins' central hall—the vast circular plaza—he turned toward the massive wall on the opposite side.
Complex Atlas runes adorned the wall.
They looked like mere decoration at a glance, but Jinwoo knew better.
It was the trigger to awaken a dormant ancient power device.
He pressed the specific runes in the exact sequence he'd memorized from the game.
When he slammed his palm into the final one, the entire ruins rumbled low.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gung!
"Wh-what?! Earthquake?!"
"No! Look at the walls!"
The Steel Hounds' shocked gazes flew to the central hall's walls.
Before their eyes, massive stone walls sealed for centuries shed dust and slid inward.
And from that darkness.
Enormous steel forms with glowing blue eyes began to emerge.
'The real party's just getting started.'
The ruins' dormant defense system.
The ancient golems were awakening.
The Steel Hounds now had to fight steel specters from an ancient civilization.
Ku-gung! Thud!
The golems' footfalls shook the ruins like massive heartbeats.
"Who... are you?!"
Caked in dust, the colossal steel giants rose from centuries of slumber, blue eyes fixed on the intruders.
Rust-stained crimson-black, but their overwhelming presence was untouched by time.
"G-golems! Battle stations!"
The Steel Hounds' commander bellowed in shock.
They formed ranks instantly and unleashed a barrage of mystic magitech rifles at the awakened ancient guardians.
Pa-pa-pa-pat!
Blue mana bullets slammed into the golems' thick armor.
Jinwoo sneered at the sight.
'Idiots! Ancient golems aren't made to be smashed. Even cannons might not cut it...'
As expected, most sparked harmlessly, dealing no real damage.
Instead, the attacks only ignited the golems' hostility.
"Insolent intruders! Feel the wrath of Atlas!"
"Wh-what?!"
A majestic voice boomed through the ruins.
Simultaneously, the golems' massive arms swung into motion.
Kwang!
One golem smashed its steel fist into the floor, cracking it like a spiderweb as debris flew everywhere.
Another fired a compressed mana beam from its arm cannon.
One Steel Hounds member turned to ash in an instant!
"Uwaaak!"
"Dodge! Damn it, armor's too thick!"
The battlefield turned to chaos in seconds.
The elite Steel Hounds unit was reduced to helpless prey before the ancient civilization's overwhelming tech.
'Yeah, fight like that.'
Jinwoo watched from the shadows of the second-floor gallery, outside the golems' sightlines, observing the pandemonium.
His role was done.
This was the classic Yi-I-Jeong strategy.
They'd probably wipe each other out.
'But leaving empty-handed would be a shame!'
Times like this called for stirring the pot to make it fun.
Jinwoo's eyes locked on the Steel Hounds squad members struggling to find an escape amid the mayhem.
He drew his pistol and took aim.
Not at heads or hearts.
Phut!
Blood erupted from the lower body of one rolling to dodge a golem attack.
"U-ugh! My leg!"
He was promptly crushed under another golem's massive foot.
Phut! Phut!
Bullets lodged in another's shoulder and elbow.
"Uhk?"
Dropping his gun, he stumbled, losing speed.
Pajijik!
A golem's mana beam seized the split-second opening, vaporizing his upper body.
Jinwoo coldly racked up the wounded.
Killing wasn't the goal.
The injured slowed comrades trying to save them.
Above all, they spread utter terror and despair.
The most efficient way to neutralize enemies!
"Damn it! Retreat! Everyone out of the ruins!"
The commander's near-scream echoed.
Nearly half down or wounded.
The survivors dragged comrades toward the entrance in desperation.
Seeing it, Jinwoo turned without regret.
"Sorry, you're not making it out."
He backtracked to another control device near the entrance.
Slamming the massive lever down with all his strength, the ruins let out a final groan.
Kwa-rung!
The giant stone door that had been the entrance began descending with a heavy rumble.
"No! The door... the door's closing!"
"Hurry! Move!"
A few barely slipped out, but most were pinned by golems, staring blankly at the sealing gate.
"Save us! Please!"
"Open it! Open the damn door!"
Their screams faded beyond the thickening stone.
Thud!
The massive door hit the floor with a boom, silencing them in the depths.
With the sealed stone door at his back, Jinwoo escaped the ruins.
"D-damn it! Atlas ruins... of all things..."
"We have to report... khek!"
Jinwoo gunned down the survivors catching their breath the moment he emerged.
'They'll send more Steel Hounds, but a full wipe here will buy time figuring out what happened.'
He'd earned precious time.
Jinwoo whistled softly.
Falcon appeared.
"Now, off to our final mission!"
Two days later, in the barren desert heart.
"N-no... the cargo!"
Phut!
The last remaining Trade Federation transport unit fell victim to Jinwoo's one-sided slaughter, unaware why they were even attacked.
All escorts down.
Empty casings and corpses littered around the wagons.
Jinwoo strode numbly through the blood-soaked site, pulling the final magitech rifle crate from the wagon.
All the pieces were assembled.
"Easy."
He checked the thick stack of classified documents from the fallen commander's pocket, along with all the spoils.
'Dealing with the Trade Federation's next plans would be good, but...'
With supplies secured, it was time to deliver his gift.
Another blue system window appeared before his eyes.
"Probably that quest, huh?"