Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Counterattack
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[The gas for the flamethrower is running low.]
[The missile turret's ammo is at 20%.]
[Estimated depletion time: 30 minutes.]
I sighed as I gazed at the endless giants. Trying to hold them off with our limited resources felt utterly insufficient.
Ding-dong.
The elevator to the situation room opened with a chime. Kim Yeonhee stumbled in, covered in blood and gasping for breath.
“Kim Cheonjae! How long do we have to keep holding them back?!”
“……”
“Can’t you see what’s happening out there? Your friend’s on the verge of death?!”
I glanced down at Ma Jeongwoo. His health bar had dwindled to less than half, signaling danger.
But he could still fight.
“He’s not dead yet.”
“……What?”
“We agreed Jeongwoo would handle that. Just trust him and wait.”
“No! Everyone’s in critical condition!”
“Then there’s nothing we can do. If Jeongwoo falls, everyone in here dies too. Got it?”
Kim Yeonhee stormed right up to me.
“……Are you seriously insane?”
“No.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“You’re just chilling here by yourself while we’re out there fighting? Huh?”
Fair enough. From her perspective, I looked like I was safely barking orders. I couldn’t exactly show how much it was eating me up inside. So frustrating.
Kim Yeonhee shoved my shoulder since I didn’t respond, spitting curses.
“You crazy bastard! We’re all gonna die!”
“……Kim Yeonhee.”
“What!”
I fixed her with a cold stare.
“Did you come all this way without resolving to die if it came to that?”
“……”
“Was it Jo Younggi who told you to come whine to me?”
She waved her hands frantically.
“N-no!”
“Then why are you here? Everyone else is out there fighting with their lives on the line, and you just bailed?”
“That’s not it! They told me to find some way because it’s so dangerous—”
“There’s only one way to save everyone right now. Either go back out and fight until I give the next order, or run away alone.”
“……”
Kim Yeonhee dropped her head. I understood what she wanted to say.
But it wasn’t my turn to step up yet.
The moment Hellfire difficulty kicked in and the enemy forces strengthened, there had to be a countermeasure hidden somewhere in this game’s systems.
That was Kang Daewon’s weapon.
Otherwise, there’d be no need to show me the prior story progression.
Whoever this storyteller was, they’d made it obvious enough even for the oblivious.
I turned back to the window and continued.
“My role is to direct the situation and lead this game to victory. You know I can’t use summons this round, so I’m handling things from the rear.”
“That’s…”
“Kim Yeonhee, stop complaining to me and go help your group leader.”
Jo Younggi’s health bar was under half too. They were all pushing past their limits to keep fighting.
If only we could use recovery skills, but the restrictions this round made it impossible.
They’d have to fight to their breaking point and then rest.
Kim Yeonhee gritted her teeth and stepped back into the elevator.
“Kim Cheonjae! I don’t know what you’re prepping, but don’t be late!”
“I explained it three times already. What more can I do if you still don’t get it….”
“Whatever, whatever! I’m going!”
* * * * *
Boom! Boom!
A few beholders slammed into the tower.
Each successful hit made the residents tremble and scream in fear.
Every cry made my heart pound faster.
I’d grown numb to death at some point, but when things didn’t go according to plan, the fear hit harder.
Mechania’s 1st Company Commander approached me.
“Uh, Teacher Kim Cheonjae. What do we do now?”
“……”
“We’ve cut power to everything above the 60th floor. Supply can’t keep up with demand, so at this rate, the shields will all…”
I asked Aidos to check the power levels, then told the commander.
“How many more minutes can the electric shields hold?”
“Shortest estimate: fifteen minutes. Longest: thirty.”
“The mechanics said they’d finish within the hour, so it’ll be over soon. Just hold out until then.”
“……Understood. We’ll do our best.”
Ma Jeongwoo and Jo Younggi returned, utterly spent.
Medics swarmed them, stripping off their armor and spraying white mist from cans before applying red liquid to their wounds.
“Jeongwoo, you okay?”
“Do I look okay?”
“Hey, at least you’re still breathing.”
“Then yeah, you’re fine.”
Jeongwoo forced a smile.
Jo Younggi leaned against the wall and said to me.
“Why don’t you ask about me?”
“You look fine.”
“……I fought my ass off. At least say good job.”
“Yeah, yeah, good job!”
“Ugh, screw this….”
Jo Younggi chuckled in disbelief and slumped to the floor.
I grabbed the radio and called Michael.
“Michael.”
-Michael receiving.
“We’re short on power, so shut down all broken or unused weaponry.”
-Roger! Shutting them all down.
Thank goodness we had Michael and Yoo Sora. Without them, we wouldn’t even have time for a breather.
Yoo Sora and Michael, who weren’t in direct combat, kept supporting the soldiers and blocking the giants.
I watched their shaky fight with folded arms, staring anxiously at the radio.
‘……Not yet?’
The tower kept shaking. The beholders were massing denser.
Their leader, the Titan, was almost upon us. One direct hit from that flail and the tower would tilt. We had to buy time somehow.
“……Where’s Kim Yeonhee?”
Jo Younggi answered while getting treated.
“Yeonhee? She was fighting right beside me earlier.”
“Huh?”
I peered out the window.
No sign of her. Worried she might’ve died, I had Jo Younggi check the group window. She was still alive.
“Hmm… Where’d she go?”
“Probably hiding ’cause she doesn’t wanna die, or took a quick bathroom break.”
Maybe.
I brushed it off. I hadn’t expected much from her assassin class anyway.
* * * * *
The hour with Kang Daewon had already passed.
In this tense minute-by-minute crisis, no response made my chest burn with frustration.
At least Yoo Sora and Michael were buying us time well.
‘How are they managing without the flamethrowers….’
Beep.
Huh?
The radio crackled to life.
“Kim Cheonjae?”
Kang Daewon’s voice.
I grabbed it and shouted.
“Yes!”
“It’s complete! Sorry for the delay.”
A little late, but not enough to tip the game.
I let out a sigh of relief. If Kang Daewon’s weapon activated now and tied down the Titan—
No, if it could restrain all the giants even briefly—
Victory would be ours.
“No problem. Activate it now?”
“Uh… I think that has to go through the tower’s AI.”
“To Aidos?”
“Yes. I don’t have activation rights.”
That explained why Kang Daewon hadn’t installed it himself.
Kang Daewon was sharp.
In the past, if Aidos ever rebelled against Kim Suhyun’s orders and went berserk, there’d be no stopping it. So he’d scrapped the install.
It matched the story I knew, so it clicked instantly.
I set the radio down.
“Aidos, activate the anti-archdemon weapon effective immediately.”
[‘Aidos’ relays Kim Cheonjae’s command.]
[Activating the anti-archdemon weapon ‘Michael’s Blessing’ effective immediately.]
Wrrrrrrrrrr—
A massive engine roar shook the tower wildly. It started from underfoot, so the device must be underground.
The giants pulled back as the rumbling hit. They probably thought it was collapsing.
[‘Michael’s Blessing’ will strike all of Mechania in 10 seconds.]
Aidos’s voice echoed faintly in my ears.
I smiled.
It’s over.
I didn’t know the exact power, but one thing was certain. Per Kang Daewon’s blueprint, when ‘Michael’s Blessing’ activated, the giants would be left groggy.
“Aidos, ready all robot units for launch.”
[‘Aidos’ relays Kim Cheonjae’s command.]
[Powering up 39 standby robot units.]
Ten seconds passed while Aidos responded.
The hum stopped, and the shaking ceased.
The waiting giants froze, then looked up at the sky.
I followed their gaze out the window.
“……Ah.”
“So that’s it?”
A golden goddess beat her wings beneath the burning sky.
Beautiful.
She smiled sweetly, then opened her mouth wide toward the ground.
Whiiiir—.
My ears rang.
No voice came through.
Unlike us, the giants all dropped to their knees, clutching their ears.
The more heads, the worse it seemed. Twin beholders slammed theirs into the ground; triple beholders rolled in agony.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Titan smashed its massive flail into the earth and charged the tower.
While the others couldn’t move, this one was different.
-Kuwaaaaaah!
Thud. Thud. Thud.
I shaped my hand like a gun and aimed at the Titan.
Bang!
“……Robot units, launch. Focus fire on the Titan.”
[Target confirmed.]
[Engaging Titan with concentrated fire.]
Kaboom!
Explosions erupted as robot units soared from all sides. The giants spotted them but lacked the strength to fight back.
Except for their leader, the Titan.
The Titan roared.
“KuwAAAAAH!!”
Perfect.
Take down the Titan, and the rest would be headless snakes.
“Robot units, open fire.”
[Opening fire.]
Flames spat from the robots’ machine guns. Bullets poured endlessly into the Titan.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The armor encasing the Titan crumpled in seconds, like a crushed soda can underfoot.
“Grraaah! Damn you! You filthy human scum!”
Its health bar plummeted. Even now, it swung its flail at the robots.
Whoosh—whoosh—.
Of course, it didn’t connect. Out of range and off-target.
After taking a beating, the Titan suddenly shielded its head with the flail.
Then it charged the tower at full speed.
‘That’s right, come on.’
I sneered and opened my palm.
“Iron Maiden.”
[Iron Maiden activated.]
Thousands of transparent spikes flew up, embracing its body. The Titan looked baffled as it tried to shake them off.
“Nope.”
Dodging the gunfire, the Titan reached the tower and swung its flail.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
I whispered.
“Aidos, have one robot unit block its attack.”
[‘Aidos’ relays Kim Cheonjae’s command.]
One robot streaked in and slammed into the flail.
Kaboom!
Flames burst from the wrecked robot. I smirked at the sight.
Just what I wanted.
‘……Adios.’
[Iron Maiden activates.]
Rumble!
A massive explosion ripped through the Titan’s body. Stronger than any force I’d seen.
All of Mechania shook.
Just one blow returned, and it was like this.
Incredible.
The Titan collapsed.
Its body charred black.
[You acquire the ‘Even the Giant King Can’t Beat Me~’ title.]
[Summon level +1!]
[Summon level reaches ‘10’.]
[Milestone level reached: Minions’ health bars expand to two slots.]
[Minions’ attack power, defense, and stamina slightly increase.]
I took a deep breath and eyed the system window.
[Sixth round main boss, ‘Titan,’ defeated.]
Everyone held their breath, staring. As the smoke cleared, the grayed-out health bar appeared.
[Viewers of the game can’t stop talking about Kim Cheonjae’s play.]
[They question if this is really ‘Hellfire’ difficulty.]
[The system displays the difficulty to the staff for confirmation.]
“……Counterattack! Drive the giants from this land!”
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