Empire's Assault (2)

I tossed a silly joke at Hyunjung, who had taken position right beside me. It felt strangely disconnected, like the two of us were playing a completely different game from all the other users.

Hyunjung and me—we've got each ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠other's backs like this!

Even though it was just a game, in that moment, it felt like we were truly back-to-back in the heart of a battlefield, facing down the enemy horde. What made it all the more thrilling was that we'd both grown into rankers who could handle a hundred foes without flinching.

We launched our counterattack against the soldiers clad in chainmail who were closing in. A quick clash revealed their levels—mostly around 400. High-level NPCs, sure, but it didn't matter.

Regular soldiers were no tougher than any mob. None could withstand more than four of my swift basic attacks. Guild points piled up fast.

Ever since equipping dual swords, Consecutive Slash had changed from two quick swings to an X-shaped cross-slash. It shaved off a tiny bit of cast time, letting me target the next foe even faster.

"Picking 'em off one by one? When are you gonna finish?"

"Haha! Look at you, Hyunjung—new gear's got you all cocky lately?"

While I methodically cleared them out, Hyunjung handled the Imperial Army his own way.

His quest reward skill, Thorn Reflection, reflected a percentage of all incoming physical melee damage back at the attacker. A top-tier special skill for tanks, but rare since it was random. Still, it shone in one-on-one duels or outnumbered fights like this.

His shield was divine-grade. Combined with his defense stats and this morning's completed Draconic Scale Armor set—the highest defense gear in existence—Imperial multi-target assaults were a joke. And with one more skill layered on, tankiness worries vanished entirely: Soul Link.

This shared a portion of damage between him and a chosen target. Versatile enough for offense too, and it belonged to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Chuk Bing hyung, diligently healing us from atop Ferari.

In short, Hyunjung was Tayen's tankiest character right now.

This guy's mobbing might even beat mine.

Tap, tap. He'd smack the Imperial soldiers surrounding him with Tu Mertus's venom fang, then brace his shield to reflect damage. It netted kills at a pace rivaling mine.

Meanwhile, Ra Chan on Wasuni and Chuk Bol unnie lobbed multi-shots and fireballs, wiping incoming squads effortlessly.

The area cleared into an empty lot. Creeping toward the outermost titan, it spotted me and turned.

Perfect! Aggro's pulling just one.

Thud, thud, thud! Its massive footsteps shook the ground. Up close, a huge name bar hovered over its head.

Its naming and build resembled Tiese or Reverse titans. But when I attacked the cocky lone ranger...

"You dare challenge the pride of the Empire, the Gaira Knights? Pay for your hubris with your life!"

It bellowed. Over half the titans advancing on the castle halted, yellow eyes glowing as they turned toward us. Then, like a moving fortress wall, eight titans lumbered our way.

Speed was key now. But it was also a chance to rack up max points—titans might drop valuables.

"Summon Levendus!"

Hyunjung called his before the eight arrived, snagging aggro from the first attacker.

Thwack! Thwack! Meanwhile, I Shadow Stepped to its rear, climbing and stabbing.

Titan Destroyer achievement. Dragon Slayer Sword's large-monster bonus. Holy Sword's base and holy proc damage. Unyielding Valor and self-buffs overflowed my attack power. Recent anti-titan buffs made single hits unmeasurable—even to me.

Soldier-grade titans had about 300k HP. My basics hurt worse than top ranker skills now. Not enough to tank.

Vreeee—!

This Soldier-grade titan, built for mobbing hundreds, crumbled under Burning Star's pinpoint strikes and my barrage, forcibly unsummoned.

A junior baron officer popped out. Routine by now—we bursted him. My Shadow Step sealed it; he screamed and died fleeing.

Titan riders gave massive points—way more than grunts. And an unexpected achievement to boot.

B-rank with a straight attack boost? No PvP caveats, and percentage-based? Rare! Perfect for my stubborn attack growth. But that last line...

Feeling the rush, I hopped onto Levendus's shoulder.

"Chuk Cave, let's go! Showtime!"

The charging titans split half to Levendus, half to Chuk Bol's Tiese Knights.

Thud! Ten titans tangled in a spectacle hidden from user view.

I still hadn't summoned Luitus. My absurd 70k MP played a part, but truth be told, I didn't need it.

I've outpaced my own titan-mounted DPS now!

Titan attacks were untargeted, so I dodged most. Way more skills available than titan-rider mode. Prep against Dainess was paying off.

Boom! Boom! On clash, I jumped, Trap Installation on one Gaira Knight's back for smoke, Shadow Step to another's rear for more smoke.

Fog blanketed everything—but not us. It was for soldier swarms anyway. Titans' huge frames were visible targets.

Reverse-summon a titan, kill the officer.

Chuk Bol's Tiese Knights backpedaled with its long spear, pure defense. She held 4v1 while I downed three.

Hyunjung's Levendus tanked four with focused defense skills.

Ferari and Wasuni riders dodged archers high up, unable to help much.

Use Dantelio's Bracelet now...? Nah.

Seemed dicey, but bracelet nuke was premature. Titans were unplanned; our real rear target unseen.

Plus, baseless confidence surged—no Skill Acceleration needed.

"Shield Bash!"

Hyunjung timed it as I pierced the smoke. I leaped onto the stunned Gaira Knight.

Graceful! Like a wind spirit caressing every inch.

Great Thief Boots let me run wild on its body. They'd call it unreal.

Strike the helm's rear, slash down to Achilles tendon. Stomp to crush me? Step heel, jump to side for Consecutive Slash.

X-lights fade, counter swings—I gap close. Grounded, four titans reflex-slam; Shadow Clone dodges, Step back to target.

0.1-second mistime = disaster. I nailed it, weaving damage. 16+ hour grinds post-Holy Sword, siege/field brawls honed my peak focus and sense.

Control was my pride; now at ranker levels with experience, I realized: 100% stat/skill exploitation.

A thrill unmatched in countless games.

…………………

"Can't believe it even seeing it... This your true power?"

Hyunjung marveled from inside Levendus. Guildmates gawked, frozen.

Not user-piloted titans, but still—I soloed eight in under five minutes.