Chapter 106
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Escape
-----------------------------------------------------------------
'We made it safely into the city, our first goal.'
All that remained was to break free from captivity and hide somewhere in the city.
"You all planning to run? Don't do anything stupid."
"Escape from this place?"
"Didn't you see what happened to the ones who got butchered earlier?"
When my group started untying the ropes and asked when we'd make our move, the other players who'd overheard tried to talk us out of it.
Someone in front of us clutched their head, trembling as they muttered.
"E-even if we escape, it's no use. Eek. W-we're all gonna die. We're all gonna die in the end."
"Shut up, you idiot."
Thwack.
"Guhk."
The guy next to the mumbling lunatic smacked him on the back of the head, then glanced back at us and asked.
"So how exactly do you plan to escape? Tell us. We'll help."
Now that I looked, there were plenty of steely gazes all around, front and back.
As if they'd all instinctively realized that getting dragged off like this meant ending up like cattle at the slaughterhouse.
Honestly, it would've been weirder if they hadn't noticed.
The city folk watched us prisoners being hauled through the streets with utter indifference, like we were just pigs or chickens.
And every now and then, they'd toss out a casual remark—or maybe it was a prayer.
"With this many sacrifices, we should be safe for a while."
"Please be satisfied with their blood."
Chilling words, right?
The prisoners might not know the exact details, but they could tell it wasn't anything good. They scanned their surroundings with anxious eyes.
"N-not like the Aztecs or something, right? Eek. N-no. I don't wanna die."
Oh, so they could imagine it that way too.
People always assume the worst—and sure enough, some were worrying about getting butchered and turned into roast meat.
But it wasn't something we could just brush off. After all, the trials we'd been through so far had been exactly like that.
Every living thing in those trial zones saw humans as tasty prey.
Having experienced that firsthand, everyone was starting to grasp the true nature of the selection process, and it wasn't doing wonders for their mental state.
Some of the worse-off ones were even soiling themselves as they walked.
"Mommy, that guy's peeing while walking."
"Yeah, he's just a beast. Don't mind him."
In a situation like that, when someone finally mustered the courage to suggest an escape, everyone latched onto it with desperate hope.
"If you have a plan, tell us."
"We'll help however we can."
And from my perspective, the more people who joined in, the better.
"Then just wait a bit, everyone."
"How long?"
I looked up and scanned our surroundings. The others followed my gaze.
The sun had set, and twilight had given way to darkness blanketing the city. They were lighting candles around the cattle statues and lanterns in the shops.
It was dark enough now that even if we cut our ropes right away, the soldiers wouldn't notice.
And darkness was perfect for plotting something sneaky.
"Ahh, I get it. You're waiting until full night falls."
"Smart one."
"Then let's get ready."
"But there are tons of soldiers. Got a plan for that?"
Of course, the soldiers were no pushovers—high combat power and numbers. We couldn't just bolt blindly.
Overlook that, and we'd end up chased like rabbits by thousands of them, only to get cornered and executed by the city guard captain, who was raid boss-tier.
So I had only one option.
"Everyone, get away from me. Now."
"What?"
Hmm. About time. I pulled an item from my inventory.
It was the [Summoner's Letter Envelope]. As if receiving my command, it flapped its wings and soared into the air.
"Huh?"
"What's that?"
This envelope had a lively personality. It scattered colorful lights everywhere, dancing and drawing all eyes like it was putting on a show.
Even when it could've flown off quietly, it pulled massive aggro instead.
The soldiers marching with us widened their eyes.
"You bastard! What are you up to?!"
"It's a sorcerer! The sorcerer's pulling some trick!"
Clang! As the soldiers drew their swords, my group and the nearby players scrambled away from me. The soldiers shoved through the gap, swinging blades at me from all sides.
"Die!"
Five swords crashing down on my head, three spears thrusting forward.
"Hup!"
I whipped my sword out of my inventory, deflecting the attacks from left, right, and front. Then I yanked one of the enemies stabbing from behind with telekinesis, using him as a meat shield.
Pu-pu-puk!
"Kuhk."
Eh? The spears pierced right through their comrade's torso, and the wielders froze, trembling in shock.
'Damn, they're ruthless. Going for the kill right away like that.'
If it weren't for me, that combo would've been 100% fatal. Nothing short of telekinesis and overwhelming stats could've blocked it.
But the combo failed, and regrouping would take time.
"What?"
"He... he blocked it all?"
That's the downside of coordinated attacks. And you can't just swing wildly without syncing up—your own allies might get hit.
Swish—
Now it was time for my counterattack.
"Th-this..."
"D-danger...!"
Twelve enemy necks sailed through the air. The headless bodies sprayed blood like fountains and crumpled.
"Kyaaack!"
"The beasts are rampaging!"
"What's happening in the middle?!"
Soldiers rushed in from front and back to contain the chaos, but the outcome was the same.
"Kuaak."
"Wh-what the hell is this guy?!"
The soldiers who'd charged in blindly, thinking we sacrifice fodder were just weak otherworlders, all lost limbs or worse in a single blow, tumbling away.
"M-monster...!"
They needed a group attack just to have a chance, let alone one-on-one. And this was after full darkness had fallen, too.
'Hunting in the dark? That's my specialty.'
In ten years on the razor's edge, I'd faced every environment imaginable—including pitch-black voids where life hung by a thread.
Demon battlefields especially were always shrouded in darkness.
So this peaceful night was just prime hunting grounds for me.
"Aaack!"
"M-my leg...!"
"R-reinforcements needed! Send more soldiers...! Kuhk."
I moved in directly now, hunting down soldiers and carving them up.
They were so caught off guard—none could even fight back properly, getting slaughtered helplessly.
'Can't blame them.'
These soldiers were overwhelmingly strong. Players were fated to get caught and tossed into the labyrinth.
But me causing havoc right in the heart of their city, where they'd clustered?
No player or local could've imagined it.
So they had no countermeasures ready.
"You bastard!"
Finally, the Hitler-mustache guy who'd grasped the situation up ahead came charging over, as I'd been massacring with sheer stats and force.
'His total stats are higher than mine. Not your average guy, huh.'
"Hahaha! Looks like there's a decent beast among the fodder after all! Come, test your mettle against me, Brontes, captain of Haran's coastal guard!"
The bull-like charger challenged me to a showdown. Too bad—I wasn't his opponent.
Shhrrk—
The vanished envelope warped space and reappeared overhead, flashing club lights as it danced.
With all eyes on it, it finally puffed out its cheeks wide and spat out a summoned being from another dimension.
Thud.
The ground shook from its massive weight.
"Wh-what?"
The noisy street fell silent in an instant. Countless eyes gaped up at the thing.
"Wh-what is that...?"
Humanoid shape. Long limbs. Belly bulging like a pregnant woman. Head just a massive mouth.
A 5-meter-tall alien-looking creature plopped right in the middle of the city street, snorting irritably as it scanned around.
"That jerk!"
Shin Seo-yeon's sharp voice cut through the air, like a bad memory resurfacing.
"Eh? Rock ghost?"
Just as the Saintess said—it was a rock ghost. A near-raid boss monster from the fourth trial, the mountainous terrain.
The same one that nearly killed Shin Seo-yeon multiple times during the hunt. Now it roared ferociously in the city center.
Kraaaaaaaaagh!
The envelope that kidnapped the rock ghost freaked out and bolted. Now it was our turn.
"Go, now!"
At my shout, the captured prisoners scattered in all directions through the city.
"?!"
I turned my back boldly to the Hitler-mustache guy barreling down on me, circled behind the rock ghost, and regrouped with my group. Then we dashed into the city alleys together.
"Wh-what?!"
The stunned mustache tried to chase the fleeing prisoners a beat too late—but then the rock ghost moved.
Whoosh—KABOOM!
"Kyaaaaack!"
The rock ghost's brutish arm smashed through buildings wholesale, scooping up and devouring people.
In the face of that bolt-from-the-blue disaster, residents screamed and fled every which way. The mustache and soldiers had no choice but to focus on the rock ghost.
"Attack the legs!"
"Focus fire and topple it! Then Captain Brontes will finish it in one go!"
Doubt it—wouldn't be that easy.
Rock ghosts boasted insane defense that shrugged off most physical attacks.
In a place with barely any mages, dealing with a physical-resistant beast like that was a nightmare.
'They're gonna suffer big time.'
Not that it was overwhelmingly strong enough to destroy the city outright. Point was, nothing better for buying time.
With the rock ghost successfully dumped on the soldiers, we bolted through the darkness-infested alleys.
"Incredible."
"You're something else. Never seen moves like that before!"
"Truly impressive. Overwhelming those soldiers like that."
We'd scattered, but some stuck with us—and they were all showering me with awe. No surprise; with my agility over 100, they'd never seen movement like mine.
"Save the praise for after we shake the pursuit."
"Pursuit?"
"You don't mean..."
Squeeeee— A horn blared over the city.
"Over there!"
Soldiers popped out from one alley, shouting. One blew another horn, and urgent footsteps chased us from behind.
Horns echoed from all over the city. Patrols stationed across the area were mobilizing to hunt escapees.
"Shit! They weren't gonna let us off easy, huh?!"
Yeah—the chase was just beginning.
Tat-tat-tat—
Tat-tat-tat-tat—!
"Over there!"
"They're this way too!"
Frantic footsteps rang from alleys everywhere, horns blaring nonstop into the night sky.
"Huh? Who're you—guk."
I sliced down a soldier leaping from the adjacent alley, and Shin Seo-yeon followed up by hurling a fireball into it.
KABOOM!
"Kuaaaaaak!"
We dodged into side paths when enemies charged from ahead, and when cornered, I took point to clear the way.
"Damn! There's so fucking many!"
"They just keep coming endlessly?"
"How long do those bastards plan to chase?!"
They pursued relentlessly.
It made sense—they had to gather sacrifices somehow. Or they'd be in danger themselves.
Small mercy: the city was huge and labyrinthine. Their numbers advantage wasn't enough to corner us quickly in the chase.
"M-Min-jun, this can't go on forever."
"Agreed. We need a countermeasure."
True. At this rate, I might need another letter envelope.
Our group was holding up fine thanks to high stats, but the followers were lagging, gasping for breath.
Some ditched us midway, ducking into nearby buildings to hide.
Kyaaak!
Though that sometimes drew soldiers when a resident inside screamed.
"Dickhead, wouldn't it be better to stealth to a safe spot and summon with the envelope instead of running around like this?"
Maybe, maybe not.
But this wasn't sustainable. I grabbed Yi Sera running beside me.
"Sera, Strategy 3."
"Yeah!"
I hurled her upward with all my strength. Her form vanished seamlessly into the dark night sky. But I could still see her clearly.
Tat. Tat. Tat-tat-tat.
She bounded across rooftops, scouting ahead and signaling directions with her arms.
'Oppa, right!'
'Left this time!'
'Straight!'
Basically, using stealth from the roofs to survey the city and guide our escape route.
Thud!
"Wh-what?! Kuaaaaaak!"
Bonus: she kicked or shoved off any watchmen on the roofs. That let us gradually pull away from the pursuers.
Though our followers had dwindled to three by then.
The rest bailed midway to save themselves.
"Let's catch our breath here."
We stopped to recover. Technically, the Saintess's healing meant no real rest needed, but its one flaw—[Recovery Authority] shone too brightly for nighttime use.
"Now we find a place to hide?"
"No."
"Then?"
There was a reason I'd stubbornly circled the city like this.
I'd been skeptical, but according to a survivor... if we held out without getting caught...
"Hey, you there."
Ah, finally.
"Yes, you all. This way."
Someone in the dark alley beckoned us. Hooded robe hid their face, but the voice was a husky woman's.
"Need a safe spot away from the soldiers' chase? Follow me."
We exchanged glances like we'd rehearsed it. Eyes wide—what was this? Then they turned to me.
"You know something about this?"
"Dickhead, what's going on?"
I'd only given the group the bare-bones plan, key warnings—no details.
Too much info, and they might fixate on it.
'Flexibility is life in the selection process. Don't cling to plans—adapt moment to moment.'
To tweak plans on the fly in the heat of it, better if only I knew the full picture.
Open everything up, and every snag turns into debates—what's good, what's wrong—wasting time.
Even after decisions, personal opinions creep in.
Better to monopolize some info: boosts reliance on me, enables quick command and teamwork.
In short, I lead solo; party members excel in their roles.
Pat-pat.
I stood, dusted off, and approached the woman. Yi Sera hopped down from lookout, and the others followed.
"Who are you?"
One trailing player asked for the group. The hooded woman laughed as she pried open a manhole cover and slipped in.
"Who knows? A fellow K-food fan? I won't bite—follow if you want."
With that, she vanished into the sewer.
I beckoned; Yi Sera stealthed in after, soon signaling all clear.
I followed. The air shifted slightly, and a notification appeared.
[You have entered the <Ancient Sewer>.]