Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 267
Chapter Title: 88. Those Who Meet Shall Part (2)
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A regressor has dreams.
He'd had dreams before.
In his second run, Morning Star had been his dream.
Now, as he raced toward the end of his long karma. Yoo Ji-tae needed one experiment. An experiment about his own dream.
So he cut off mental communication with Clone 2. And sent the clone to Morning Star.
To Clone 2, the concept of "Lord" was absolute. Just how much freedom could Clone 2 show from its own bondage?
He didn't know the results yet. He decided to wait until communication returned.
On the other hand, sending Clone 2 was also for Morning Star, separate from the experiment.
He now had a bit of credit in the seventh run. Perhaps because the Apocalyptic Clock had thrown him those words: "You will surely be happy."
If so, the flow of time wouldn't break in this run. And within that continuing time, Morning Star had to live a happy life. Because she was someone he was grateful to.
And his thoughts on Morning Star ended there.
The season when golden barley fields swayed like waves in the wind.
The international situation began to grow complicated.
The Alliance had broken one of its treaties with the International Peacekeeping Organization. It was about magic stone usage, something they'd quietly swept under the rug as custom since ancient times, until a whistleblower's testimony finally brought it to light.
A few days later. Protests erupted in front of the Alliance embassy in neutral Switzerland. They were condemnation protests demanding an explanation for breaking the treaty. The protests continued for days. And they escalated into armed demonstrations, with protesters armed with guns assaulting the embassy.
The Alliance forces and Swiss police suppressing the protests responded with force in kind, but the crackdown was excessive. Even in an era where human rights weren't highly valued, the government-estimated 2,840 Swiss civilian casualties shocked the world.
Too many had died.
Of course, none of it was actually the Alliance's doing.
The whistleblower turned out not to be Alliance. The protesters who initiated the armed clash weren't Alliance either. And the Swiss police and Alliance soldiers who carried out the overkill suppression? They weren't Alliance either.
But they all committed suicide the moment they were caught. Someone had worn the Alliance's mask to wreak havoc.
On this incident, Kalliovan issued a handwritten statement spanning 17 pages of A4 paper.
It summed up to one line.
Alliance: We're innocent!
But already positioned to concentrate military power, the Alliance's explanation fell on deaf ears.
The Alliance was too big, an organization that had lived far too long without need. It had plenty of vulnerabilities.
To refute one slander required a hundred explanations. It was inefficient.
Quasar effectively countered that negativity.
Like this, whatever figure lurked behind Quasar began to move in earnest. And matching the accelerating flow that bastard created, all sorts of media began baring their teeth at the Alliance.
The nationalities of those "all sorts of media" spanned "the entire world."
It matched Yoo Ji-tae's advice.
Kalliovan issued another statement, designating the entity slandering the Alliance as a fictional figure.
He named that target "Q."
From now on, Kalliovan and Q would begin a battle of strength.
This much was for the Alliance to handle themselves.
After preparations for the fourth night were complete. Chief Advisor "Season" did not go to the Alliance.
Now it was time to focus on the kids.
Flames burst from Yong Tae-ha's eyes.
"Kuh!"
A massive impact slammed into his body. Like a car accident. His body soared at least 30 meters before crashing into the dungeon wall. Yong Tae-ha's mouth opened involuntarily. Something surged up, and he thought of the kimchi pancake he'd eaten for breakfast. But what came out was red. "Tae-ha!" Someone's shout rang in his ears.
"Ugh..."
He pulled himself up.
A terrifying thought hit him. When he fell, his ribs had taken the impact. How much force was that? As he calculated, his hand touched his ribs. One, two, three... Six were broken in total. Fortunately, they hadn't pierced his organs. They'd burst out through his skin instead.
Only after seeing the bone protruding from his side did the pain flood in.
"Get up, Yong Tae-ha!"
Tier Bljenk shouted.
There was no time to sit. Yong Tae-ha stood. His misaligned ribs sent chills through him, but he endured. Gripping his sword tightly with both hands.
In front of him. Eight meters tall. A body made entirely of stone.
A massive doll that moved even without its head. The A-rank mid-boss "Golem" roared.
KRRRRR—
His broken bones rattled.
"Yong Tae-ha! Move your feet! Don't clash head-on!"
Melee superhumans were powerless against such "large types." Even with sword aura, it was just a skewer. You couldn't destroy the heart with a toothpick.
"LOOK AT ME—!"
Shouting, he leaped up. Yong Tae-ha decided to play bait again.
He saw Yoo Gaeul trembling from afar.
He had to trust her.
Team Lair was currently conducting an operation to reclaim a monster-occupied zone.
About 15% of Earth's land had fallen to monsters. These were called "monster-occupied zones."
Most were left alone because dealing with them wasn't economically viable due to low threat. But as time passed and land values rose, conquering these abandoned lands became new work for superhumans.
Team Lair's members—excluding Gaeul—wanted high rankings. So the difficulty of their conquests gradually increased.
And sometimes, that led to overly dangerous ops like today.
"Hey! Ling-ling—!"
Thwack—
The small body took a punch as big as itself.
She reacted. At the moment of impact, she hardened her vitals. And protected her internals with mana as much as possible. Still, Lingling slammed into the ground, nose gushing blood. Blood trickled from her ears. Her organs took damage too.
The golem moved unnaturally fast. Toward the human-sized palm-down on the ground, it began pounding down.
In front of it, Tier Bljenk drew his shield.
A golden glow gathered into light.
Boom—!
The ground caved in.
Boom—!
Lingling's other eardrum burst.
Boom—!
Tier's leg bent in an unnatural direction.
Boom—!
Finally, cracks appeared in the glow.
If it broke, at least one would die for sure.
From the sidelines, it was all or nothing. Gaeul's focus wasn't fully there yet. After five hits, the monster was still alive.
There was a hole in the head from Gaeul's magic. Yong Tae-ha had crawled inside the golem. The mana moving its internals tangled with Yong Tae-ha's mana. Repulsion built up. Boom—With the explosion, Yong Tae-ha was flung out. Covered in burns and fractures.
The tangled golem thrashed like it was broken.
But this was just buying time.
When the golem moved again. Its target switched to Yong Tae-ha sprawled on the ground. Tier Bljenk turned without time to check Lingling. He had to shift his gaze.
But with the golem clutching its head with one hand, Tier Bljenk had no way to redirect its attention. All he had was his sword. He climbed on and stabbed everywhere. The hand tore. The blade snapped. Shards pierced his eye.
Yet it didn't stop.
In front of the bloodied Yong Tae-ha.
Finally, that massive stone fist rose to the sky.
Unable to hold back his frustration, Tier Bljenk screamed.
"You fucking—!"
Gaeul's magic completed right then.
Thwoooom———
A massive, sharp golden beam shot out. An intense halo casting shadows around. This was "Mana Arrow" with mana drawn to extremes.
Its overwhelming power pierced the golem's lower abdomen. Grinding through mana and stone.
Where the beam passed, the golem's core lay shattered.
Only then did the golem stop.
Gaeul, who fired from afar, clutched her hand and knelt. They'd fought long, but control was still hard. Veins bulged. Burst parts throbbed red. Every finger joint tingled.
"......"
Still, she couldn't sit. Gaeul ran to check Lingling.
Pressure wounds dotted her body. Gaeul cast clumsy emergency healing magic, and those who'd received dragon mana recovered quickly.
"It's amazing..."
"Hm?"
"Unni Gaeul's magic. It's super effective..."
Lingling murmured, wrapped in golden mana.
"Don't talk. Your nose is bleeding..."
Yong Tae-ha added.
"Thanks to you too. Nearly ended up smelling incense behind a screen. I lived thanks to you."
"You did great..."
"You did it all. Totally different level."
Bitter tone. But the praise was sincere.
As praise for saving them piled up, Gaeul felt strange.
Because of the praise?
That seemed right too, of course.
But something else too.
Even before the praise, from the moment she realized everyone was safe, a great sense of fulfillment had welled up.
Soon, the medical team and post-conquest cleanup arrived.
Fortunately, everyone survived, and the conquest ended.
It was exceptionally tough compared to usual.
The field always brings the unexpected. Especially if it's a battlefield.
The aftereffects of injuries were severe. Team Lair took about a week off conquests. Their achievements were so great, it wasn't much of a loss.
They hadn't died. That was enough. For superhumans, as long as they survived, serious issues weren't serious.
None of us died.
So it was a success.
We got hurt, but we're trying hard.
It's okay. Let's rest a bit.
...Over those few days, as the young divine superhumans comforted each other's shock.
Something unpleasant intruded.
Articles popping up online ruined their mood.