Competent Lee Ha-yul (3)
Competent Lee Ha-yul (3)
Lee Ha-yul's whiny explanation was fortunately accepted.
This was thanks to a message from the observation station, which reported that the rampage would begin sooner than expected.
"The observation device is a magic tool granted an Authority, but my observation is the original Authority, so it's more accurate and faster..."
Sniffling and rubbing his pinched nose, Lee Ha-yul pouted his lips.
It was an expression that said, 'I'm sulking, so cheer me up,' and not a single person there didn't know it. With a soft laugh, Baek A-rin gently caressed Lee Ha-yul's nose.
A cool touch met his slightly flushed nose bridge.
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry for doubting you. But no matter how urgent it was, you still left without saying a word, didn't you?"
"...I didn't know it would rampage this quickly."
Lee Ha-yul averted his gaze and muttered.
"The state it was in made it seem like there were still at least two days left, so I was going to organize the chaotic site first and then contact you..."
"And then you drank some milk, got drowsy, and fell fast asleep?"
Hong Yeon-hwa, who was calmly changing clothes beside him, remarked.
"Yep..."
"Sigh, it's true that the kid sleeps soundly when well-fed, but still..."
Hong Yeon-hwa shook her head as she pulled up her pants and fastened the front.
"Anyway, if a rampage is about to start, let's get going. The plan is a defensive battle using the city as the front line, and Ha-yul is the overall commander, right?"
"Yes, because the rampage is too imminent for us to enter the dungeon. The Archbishop willingly transferred command authority to me."
If the dungeon rampaged while we were still inside, things would become problematic.
Of course, for Lee Ha-yul, it wasn't a real issue. To put it bluntly, he could just charge in alone and slaughter everything from the miscellaneous monsters to the 2nd-Rank creatures...
"Don't try to shoulder it all yourself."
Hong Yeon-hwa spoke as she attached one subspace pocket after another, brimming with supplies, to her waist.
"It's true that Ha-yul is amazing. And I know you can create multiple bodies even on your own, but there's absolutely no need for you to bear the entire burden."
"......"
"Whether the world gave birth to you or whatever, savior this and that, what of it? No one can force a ridiculous duty onto you."
Having tightened her belt, Hong Yeon-hwa turned to look at Lee Ha-yul.
"Don't overdo it trying to handle everything alone. Speak up."
Lee Ha-yul chewed his lips with a complicated expression. Hong Yeon-hwa raised an eyebrow.
"Answer me."
"...Yes."
He answered in a tiny, muttering voice.
The tone suggested he wasn't entirely thrilled about it, but at least he answered.
With a soft laugh, Hong Yeon-hwa wrapped an arm around Lee Ha-yul's shoulder, cupped his chin, and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to his lips.
—Chu
He followed the touch without any resistance, and with a single kiss, his complicated-looking eyes curved into an obedient smile.
Chuckling inwardly, Hong Yeon-hwa lifted her head.
"Good job."
"...Mm."
[I like kisses]
Lee Ha-yul smiled softly, and as he leaned his head against her chest, Hong Yeon-hwa stroked his hair with her hand.
Watching this truly affectionate scene, Baek A-rin tilted her head.
"Did the people who were in a hurry and said to go quickly already leave?"
"Hmph, you're just jealous."
"...Good heavens, to be provoked like this by Yeon-hwa. This is the worst disgrace in the entire history of the great Changhae family."
With Baek A-rin's joking remark as the finale, we left the room. A single priest was waiting near the door.
"O Great One, the front-line deployment has been completed according to your orders."
She bowed deeply before she could even meet anyone's eyes.
Lee Ha-yul nodded calmly.
[What is the status of the front line and supplies?]
"We have currently finished constructing up to the third defensive line and are installing traps along the predicted routes. Supplies have been stockpiled at three times the projected amount via the gate."
[Well done. Then, where are Archbishop Agram and the commander of the Association Defense Force?]
The flow of confirmations and orders continued fluently. Hong Yeon-hwa and Baek A-rin stared blankly at Lee Ha-yul, blinking.
His expression was different.
His eyes were half-lidded with a languid look, yet they were calm. His gaze and the corners of his mouth were serene, as if they had never laughed so easily before.
The voice of the necklace, which usually bounced around depending on the situation, was steady and precise now, as if its sole purpose was to convey information.
These changes combined to completely transform his overall impression. He was still just as lovable, but an elegant, extraordinarily uncommon aura emanated from him—one that made it hard to dare to find fault.
If she had to compare it, it resembled the Lee Ha-yul who manifested the Azure Sea. It was softer than that, but it still gave the impression of something sharply alluring that you wanted to pin down and smother.
'Oh...'
Letting out an internal sigh of admiration, Baek A-rin stealthily reached out her hand.
[When the rampage begins, there may be problems in the city center as well, so please assign a few units under the Tower Faith to guard the downtown area. Regarding that, I will coordinate with the Association and the public safety depart...]
—Squeeze...!
Lee Ha-yul flinched. The hand that had suddenly grabbed a firm hold of his ass made his eyes waver for a moment.
[...lic safety, de-partment.]
"Yes, I will execute that."
He managed to finish his sentence. Even though the sound did waver a little due to the hand kneading him in the middle.
Fortunately, the priest was bowing and could not see. Lee Ha-yul gently covered the hand gripping his bottom to restrain it and sent a Sound Transmission.
—A-rin, what are you suddenly doing?
—I got jealous and turned on.
—...? Eek, h-hic...!?
Baek A-rin smirked, spread her hand wide, and then grabbed a huge handful of one butt cheek. A sensation sliding up his spine made his shoulders tremble violently.
"I think you would find it beneficial to hear a more detailed report from the field commander."
[Ah, y-yes, yes...!]
Having finished speaking, the priest slowly raised her head. Startled with a jolt, Lee Ha-yul hurriedly pulled the hand he had behind him back to the front.
With the restraint gone, the hand moved freely. It gripped his bottom as if it belonged to it, kneading it roughly and openly enjoying the feel.
—What the hell, you crazy bitch.
It was around then that Hong Yeon-hwa grasped the situation. She grabbed the wrist of the hand molesting Lee Ha-yul's rear and glared at Baek A-rin.
Lee Ha-yul, having eavesdropped on the Sound Transmission, internally brightened and cheered for Hong Yeon-hwa.
—What kind of stunt is this in front of people, are you a lunatic?
—Hey, Yeon-hwa, one butt cheek is still free.
—......
'?'
Things were taking a strange turn. As a question mark popped up in Lee Ha-yul's mind, Baek A-rin's Sound Transmission continued.
—Think about it, Yeon-hwa. Did you see the look in that person's eyes just now? Whew, they were treating Ha-yul like some kind of god.
—...So what?
—So it feels good, groping Ha-yul's butt in secret right in front of someone like that. It feels like I'm defiling a god before their devout follower.
Hong Yeon-hwa fell silent. As Lee Ha-yul broke into a cold sweat at the ominous silence, Hong Yeon-hwa's hesitant hand crept toward him.
—Squeeze...
[Hic...]
"?"
A strange sound was heard.
It was too quiet to make out clearly. The priest blinked and subtly scanned the area ahead, but saw nothing unusual.
The magic Lee Ha-yul had hastily cast was clouding the priest's senses.
.
.
.
In the modern era, cities serve as centers of culture and economy, while also fulfilling the role of defensive strongholds.
Ordinary buildings are constructed on the premise that they can be used as defensive facilities in emergencies, and it is even mandatory to build dedicated combat facilities.
This is because the danger of dungeons and monsters lurks in this world.
Thanks to this, establishing a front line was not particularly difficult.
[Preparations are more or less complete.]
Lee Ha-yul, having climbed onto the wall, nodded approvingly.
A tall, thick wall encircled the city of Erteria.
There had originally been a low wall, but Lee Ha-yul had installed a Spell Workshop right on top of it to raise its height.
This wall was the first defensive line that would stop the monsters first.
The second and third defensive lines were already set up further inside the city, using the buildings as cover.
'The front line is good enough... and the military strength is adequate.'
Naturally, the personnel were mainly deployed at the first defensive line.
There were the superhumans stationed in Erteria, the Defense Army troops drafted from the Association, and also the combat units belonging to the Tower Faith.
This was enough to form a proper front line.
"Anyway, aren't my junior's Golems, Undead, and the Spirit kids going to wipe them all out?"
Sitting on the edge of the wall and swinging her legs back and forth, Daera looked around the front line.
Golems were being steadily produced from the wall surrounding the city, and outside the wall, Undead were swarming to act as meat shields.
On top of the wall, high-ranking spirits were placed at regular intervals.
[It's always good to have more allies.]
Lee Ha-yul, who had been checking the numbers on their side while layering defensive spells one by one, shrugged.
"That's true... but if a 2nd-Rank shows up, I think it'll kill us all."
[Um...]
At that remark, Lee Ha-yul also shut his mouth.
It was a fair point. It wasn't a 3rd-Rank, it was a 2nd-Rank. Unless you were significantly strong, even acting as a meat shield would be difficult.
"That's why every faction operates a small elite force. While the mass of numbers pins down the monster horde, they deal with the high-rank monsters."
It was Atra, who had been loosening up her hands and regulating her mana nearby. She dusted off her hands, then lightly pinched Lee Ha-yul's cheek.
"Gwehk..."
"You almost made me late again. Does my dear disciple enjoy driving nails into his master's heart so much?"
"No..."
Lee Ha-yul denied it with a tearful face.
Of course, Atra also knew that Lee Ha-yul had nothing but goodwill toward her, not a shred of ill intent.
Still, it was infuriating, so she was venting her mood by teasing Lee Ha-yul.
"...Mm."
Atra playfully pinched Lee Ha-yul's cheek, while Lee Ha-yul, despite the pinching, inwardly delighted in the attention and affection. Lee Seo-yul, who had been glaring at the two with displeasure, turned her gaze beyond them.
A wide, open plain. Her fluttering five-colored wings detected a shift in mana.
"It's starting now."
[Yeah.]
That was the moment Lee Ha-yul nodded.
The sky beyond the horizon gave one heavy shudder.
As the invisible wave that shook the sky spread across the world like paint, the twilight sky was dyed a gloomy shade.
- Observation Post notification: Grade 1 Dungeon, temporary designation Gorod31, has begun an outbreak.
Into everyone's ears flowed the voice of a Flame-type superhuman.
The will of the dungeon, having explosively unleashed its accumulated power and rapidly expanded, approached, swallowing space.
Spatial isolation was something most dungeon outbreaks brought with them. As an outbreak from a Grade 1 Dungeon, its scope and intensity were living up to their reputation.
Conventionally, there was no way to counter it; one could only be swallowed up.
Lee Ha-yul stamped the ground with the Purification Censer.
'Manifest, Authority of Space.'
- Wooong!
The Authority of Space radiated from Lee Ha-yul. The spatial wave that burst forth coiled around the castle wall and enveloped the city.
- Guooong...!
The invisible wave that soon struck bounced off. The superhumans expressed admiration and alarm as the color of the sky right before them split in two.
"Does this block the spatial isolation?"
"Yes. I blocked it limited to the city, so communications still work and the gate functions normally."
At Liana's question, Lee Ha-yul nodded and floated the Purification Censer beside him.
- Guooong...! Woong! Wooong...!
However, the wave spreading elsewhere was not blocked. Affected by the violent wave, lower-grade dungeons resonated and began their own outbreaks.
- Observation Post notification: Currently confirming outbreaks of 92 Grade 4 Dungeons, 22 Grade 3 Dungeons, 5 Grade 2 Dungeons, and 2 Grade 1 Dungeons.
At the voice that echoed in her mind, Daera stuck out her tongue.
"Oof... why are there so many damn dungeons?"
[Originally, this area has a lot of dungeons in its center.]
It wasn't for nothing that, in several iterations, this place turned into a Demon Realm. Lee Ha-yul slowly drew out his mana, observing the space beyond.
The gray sky crumpled, and a medley of colors glimmered faintly.
It wasn't as strong as a Grade 1 Dungeon, but it was the effect of the many small dungeons' wills mingling together.
'...When they mix like that, of course the environment ends up looking that ugly.'
Perhaps it was because he had just finished shaping the environment of the Reverse Side. That mishmash stew of a space felt strangely novel to him.
While methodically storing the observed spatial information with the Authority of Knowledge, he turned his perception downward.
Beneath the chaotic sky, a formidable variety and number of monsters, chaotically jumbled together, were pouring toward them.
"...They've come."
Lee Ha-sol, who had drawn her bow, swallowed hard.
Each one might be weak, but the pressure was palpable as such a massive number poured in, threatening to blanket the earth.
Particularly because beyond this was Erteria... the city.
It wasn't her hometown, but it was a place where Lee Ha-sol had lived for a long time and formed attachments, so she couldn't help but feel the weight of responsibility.
[Then let's go.]
Lee Ha-yul stepped one pace ahead of Lee Ha-sol.
"...Yes."
At that confident stride, her tension melted away. Lee Ha-sol blinked, then smiled softly as she drew her bowstring.
- Whooosh...!
The sound of the drawn bowstring was swallowed by the wind.
The wind whipped around Lee Ha-sol.
Her fluttering light-green hair gradually settled down. The gathered Gale was tightly compressed into an arrow.
'Manifest, Homogenization, Gale.'
A new gust rose right beside her. As Lee Ha-sol released the bowstring, Lee Ha-yul coiled the Gale around his forearm and struck the rear of the arrow.
Gale Expansion Ability
Line-Wind Path
Bang! His hair fluttered wildly in the brief burst of wind. The arrow, imbued with Lee Ha-yul's Gale as well, was launched.
The wind that filled the space ahead stepped aside as if making way, then looped around to the back and propelled the arrow forward.
The arrow, aided by the heavens as if they were responding, instantly closed the great distance. It passed the vanguard and slammed into the center of the monster horde that densely covered the ground.
- Kra-krakrash...!
The condensed Gale erupted upon impact, devouring the entire area. A massive blade-storm tore through the surroundings like a blender, shredding everything in all directions.
Those who felt the dizzying storm reach even the city wall gaped.
"Whoa... wasn't that the thing you were about to use on me back then?"
"Yeah, it's based on that."
"Crazy, you were gonna shove something like that into me?"
Daera shuddered as the memory resurfaced. She didn't seem to recall that, before that, she had been the one to slam him with a volley of Heavenly Thunder first.
[Senior Daera.]
"Haa... got it."
At Lee Ha-yul's signal, Daera stepped forward. She bounced lightly in place, then raised her hand with a flash.
Heavenly Thunder Expansion Ability
Chukroe
It was the prosthetic Lee Ha-yul had gifted her.
The Heavenly Thunder accumulated within it, and the Heavenly Thunder Daera had accumulated herself, overflowed and surged up into the sky.
- Rumble...!
A massive bundle of electric current spread across the flashing sky.
At that sight, those who recalled the lightning strikes that had fallen all day widened their eyes. Lee Ha-yul also shot Heavenly Thunder upward, following suit.
Simultaneously, he scraped up all the Heavenly Thunder already spread through the sky and had it resonate with Daera's Heavenly Thunder.
"Haa...!"
- Crackle!
Heavenly Thunder scattered around her, and Daera's hair rose upward.
As Daera, having let out a heavy breath, clenched her fist tightly, a stream of Heavenly Thunder signaling the launch slammed into the sky.
Heavenly Thunder Expansion Ability
Blue Sky Thunderbolt
- Kra-koom!
Not an imitated pseudo expansion ability, but the genuine article.
Daera's Heavenly Thunder split into thousands upon thousands of bolts and poured down. The world was dyed brilliant white by the Heavenly Thunder streams that fell like rain.
- BOOM!
Just then, a peculiarly thick and fast Heavenly Thunder bolt struck down. Dozens of Heavenly Thunder strikes hammered into a single zone in concentration.
They struck the earth.
The monsters in the vicinity were completely annihilated, but the intended target was only grazed.
"Crazy, it's so damn fast."
Daera, who felt the same thing, spat out a curse. Lee Ha-yul didn't bother to say it, but he shared the sentiment.
It was fast.
This was Heavenly Thunder, whose speed none could match. The fact that it had dodged, to some extent, when they deliberately hammered it meant it was to be expected.
'2nd-Rank.'
He observed it. It wasn't a giant species. At most, it was only slightly larger than a person.
Lee Ha-yul furrowed his brow.
This was his first encounter with a 2nd-Rank. As if the gap truly grew exponentially with each rise in rank, it was far stronger than a 3rd-Rank.
Though that didn't mean it could compare to a Tower Master, as was obvious.
'Alpha... is it?'
It was hard to be certain.
It wasn't simply a variant, and it wasn't because of the dungeon's correction.
Something else was packed tightly inside it.
As if countless tiny souls had been crammed into a single body, its soul was bloated out of proportion to its physical form. Even now, the tiny souls were being digested, further fattening its soul.
'...Soul Hunting Sublimation?'
At the technique from the original story that suddenly came to mind, Lee Ha-yul's expression darkened.