Bolt from the Blue
KWAAANG-!! A brilliant bolt of blue lightning slammed down onto the ground. Accompanied by a deafening roar, chunks of asphalt scattered in every direction.
“Arghhh!!”
“What the hell? Lightning out of a clear sky?!”
“Shelter! Everyone, get to the shelter!”
The area descended into chaos in an instant.
A bolt from the blue. What expression could be more fitting? The problem was, this wasn't a metaphor.
KWAAANG-!KRUMBLE-!KWAAANG-!
And the lightning didn't stop at just one strike. From the pitch-black clouds that blanketed the sky, ferocious bolts rained down every twenty seconds.
A calamity that felt like the wrath of the gods!
But what truly sent chills down people's spines wasn't the lightning.
“Gasp…!”
“Th-that, that thing…”
“Oh my God, Lord have mercy.”
What emerged after the lightning strikes drained the color from the faces of those fleeing in panic.
From the crater gouged into the ground by the bolt, CRUNCH-! a massive hand suddenly burst forth, slamming savagely into the earth.
And what followed?
“A m-monster…?!”
“Shit! No alert went off—why's a monster popping out?!”
It was a giant covered head to toe in blue rock. Towering as tall as a utility pole!
Dozens of rock giants erupted from the crater, unleashing earth-shattering roars as they began rampaging. They hurled cars off the road indiscriminately or smashed nearby buildings with stone fists.
“S-save…!”
“Kyaaaah-!!”
As civilians caught in the rock giants' blind fury scattered in terror, SCREECH-! several heavy dump trucks rolled onto the scene. Proudly emblazoned on their sides was the "Blue Bird" logo.
THUD! A group clad in player gear leaped out, swiftly springing into action.
“You, take the kids and evacuate the civilians! The rest of you, with me—we're taking those bastards down!”
Byun Jae-woong, the second team leader of the Blue Bird Guild, took command at the front. He wiped cold sweat from his brow, surveying the chaos around him.
KRUMBLE-!!
The relentless lightning still hammered the ground, while [KRAAAH-!!] the rock giants rampaged like runaway trucks, continuing their destruction.
Cleaning up this mess fell to them, the guild responsible for this district.
“Damn it, this is insane!”
Byun Jae-woong spat the words through gritted teeth, then ordered the burly man beside him wielding a massive hammer.
“Looks like you're up front, Deok-jung.”
“Me?! Why me of all people…?”
“Why not? Look at those things! They're made of solid rock! Who better than you with that hammer?”
“W-well, sure, but…”
“Then get out there! We'll cover you from behind!”
“Ugh…”
Kim Deok-jung grumbled but had no choice—when the boss says jump, you jump.
“Raaarghhh-!”
Forcing courage into his voice, he hoisted his enormous hammer and charged the rock giants. His comrades, led by Byun Jae-woong in the rear, quickly assumed covering positions.
But in the next instant—
“Kyaak-!?”
Deok-jung's battle cry twisted into a scream of agony. The moment his hammer struck the rock giant, ZZZAP-! a swirling vortex of electric current ignited from the giant's body, surging through the hammer's handle and electrocuting him.
…THUD!
Deok-jung collapsed, his body charred black as coal.
「……」
Witnesses to the scene froze as if turned to ice.
Byun Jae-woong soon bellowed.
“Ranged! Hit 'em with ranged attacks!”
True to his position in a proper guild, he had sharp eyes. He'd instantly grasped the rock giants' trait: high-voltage current discharge on contact, electrocuting foes.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-!!
Every ranged attacker unleashed a coordinated barrage. Byun Jae-woong, armed with a crossbow, joined in. Fireballs, mana-infused bolts and arrows—projectiles of all kinds intercepted the giants.
The result?
[Kruuuh….]
[Kruuuh….]
Struck by the storm of attacks, the rock giants began toppling one after another!
Byun Jae-woong cheered triumphantly.
“Haha! What? All size, no substance!”
At that moment, a guild member known for his sharp instincts thought:
In manga or movies, guys who say crap like that usually screw everything up nine times outta ten…
And unfortunately, his gut was spot on again.
[Kruuuh-!]
[Kuuuuh-!]
The rock giants—limbs crushed, bodies aflame—began rising one by one!
「……」
A chill silence gripped once more.
Soon after, [KRAAAH-!!] as if declaring our turn now, the giants charged with thunderous roars.
Before the flustered guild members could react—CRUNCH-!THUD-!WHAM-! the giants swung house-sized stone fists, unleashing brutal carnage.
KRUMBLE-!!THUD-!THUD-!!
Even amid the onslaught, the lightning didn't relent, and the blood of guild members with heads and limbs exploding painted the city streets red.
“Gwaaaahhh!!”
It was hell on earth.
—I'll help you make the most of your abilities from the sidelines.
“……”
Lying on his bed, staring at the dim ceiling, Yoo Sung-su couldn't shake those words from his mind.
They were what Jae-min had said recently, when he'd tried recruiting Sung-su to his team.
Lately, everything Jae-min had told him kept replaying in his head.
And each time, flap flap! Sung-su clutched his pillow, kicking his legs like a fish flopping out of water. A smile wouldn't leave his face.
I never thought Jae-min hyung would say something like that first.
Yoo Sung-su was an awakened player too. He'd dreamed of teaming up with a respected comrade to navigate this era of cataclysms.
Deep down, he'd planned to ask Jae-min someday to let him join as a teammate.
But Jae-min had beaten him to it, inviting him aboard!
This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance…
To Sung-su, Jae-min was practically a god—exaggeration or not.
Jae-min had encouraged him when he had no connections.
He'd awakened Sung-su's mysterious starter skill.
And above all…
The benefactor who cured my one and only mom's illness.
The hyung he wanted to stay close to forever. When that hyung invited him to join his team, what reason was there to refuse? Hell, Sung-su felt like bowing in gratitude.
But…
Mom… she'd hate it.
That thought doused him like ice water.
Even before collapsing, she'd repeatedly begged him never to become a player.
Nothing had changed now.
If anything, after miraculously reuniting with her son, she'd oppose it even more fiercely.
Still…
I have to at least try.
The day he'd received the offer, Sung-su resolved to convince his mom.
He understood a parent's worry for their child, but…
I'll decide my own path.
SMACK! He slapped his own cheek, then headed to the living room.
There sat a middle-aged woman with a healthy glow, watching TV on the sofa. Yoo Sung-su's mother, Yoo Mi-young.
“Oh, honey.”
“Weren't you sleeping? You must be tired from your night shift…”
“Yeah… but I can't sleep for some reason.”
Sung-su sat awkwardly beside her, smiling as she channel-surfed.
“Feeling okay?”
“Okay? I'm better than before I collapsed.”
“Really?”
Mi-young nodded with a smile.
“You know, son? I feel like I'm back in my twenties.”
“Haha…”
“Must be thanks to that medicine from Mr. Jae-min.”
Her mentioning the name first made Sung-su tense up.
“Right, son. While we're on the topic—when will you introduce him to me?”
“Jae-min hyung? Anytime his schedule allows…”
“Good. Make it soon. I want to treat him to a nice meal. We owe him so much… our whole family does.”
“……”
Sung-su nodded silently, deeply agreeing.
And he thought: This is the perfect moment to bring it up.
Steeling himself, Sung-su's lips moved.
“Mom. I have something to tell you…”
Just as Sung-su started, the channel Mi-young landed on froze on a major broadcast news station.
It had to.
Outbreak news! The footage looked seriously bad.
No wonder even the anchor sounded rattled.
“Oh no…”
Mi-young covered her mouth, sighing at the rampaging rock giants and grim updates.
Meanwhile, Sung-su was in a bind.
Of all times, this news…
His odds of convincing her had plummeted.
I'll talk later…
As he resigned himself—
The anchor delivered more breaking news. An overhead shot of the devastated site caught a plainly dressed man in frame.
Mi-young stomped anxiously.
“Aigoo, how'd that guy miss evac?! He's gonna get himself killed…”
She fretted like it was her own kin.
Sung-su was anxious too.
But…
“……”
His eyes widened not from worry for the man—but because the distant face on screen was unmistakably familiar.
Jae-min hyung…?
Why's hyung there…?
***
“Why's a civilian here?!”
Byun Jae-woong screamed, on the verge of madness.
It was justified. They were already struggling against monsters with no clear weakness.
“Hey! You idiot! What're you doing?! Get out! Get the hell out now! If you wanna die, jump in the Han River—don't screw around here!!”
A young man in a hoodie and jeans stood brazenly between and the rock giants.
His safety aside, he was a massive hindrance to the fight.
“Is he deaf?! Move!!”
Byun Jae-woong yelled himself hoarse, but the young man ignored him.
Fine. They'd fight around him. Their own survival came first!
Byun Jae-woong and the guild ignored the intruder, desperately unleashing skills.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-!
Intense bombardment rained down.
Whiiiish-!
One straight-shot arrow hurtled toward the young man's back.
It was obvious—it'd blow his head clean off!
But?
CRACK-!
The arrow heading for him snapped in midair.
A bizarre sight. The perceptive few quickly realized why.
Shiiiik-!
Mana. Pure yet ferociously intense mana erupted from the young man's slender frame.
His explosive mana surge had shattered the incoming arrow—like a tree trunk splintering in gale-force winds!
“What the fu…?!”
“W-wait. That just now… huh?!”
Only then did they realize he wasn't a civilian—he was a player.
Should they rejoice at reinforcements, or freak out at that mana whirlwind? They couldn't decide.
BOOM-!
The young man kicked off the ground, charging the rock giants.
Byun Jae-woong, snapping out of his daze, shouted urgently.
“Don't touch their bodies-!”
The giants carried high-voltage currents. Even a fingertip touch meant instant electrocution.
But the young man breezily ignored the warning, thwang-! leaping high like a spring to land atop the nearest giant's nape.
Yet…
“Wh-what…?”
“Why's he fine?”
“Th-the current's still flowing…”
The young man was unscathed upon contact.
ZZZAP-!
The high-voltage arced fiercely, even coiling around him.
Still, he remained utterly calm. Serene, even.
“H-how…?”
An item? But he was in plain clothes…
How? No one uninvolved would ever know.
Spirit King's Favor (Fire) activated!
Status ailment 'Electrocution' nullified!
That young man—Jae-min—saw exactly what message floated in his vision.
[Gruuuh…?]
Feeling the weight on its nape, the rock giant uttered a puzzled noise.
Who could've known it would be its last words?
SMACK!
Jae-min's mana-clad fist smashed into the giant's crown.
The struck giant fell silent.
And… thud!
Its body toppled backward like a marionette with cut strings.
“What the…”
The silence wasn't just the giant's. Byun Jae-woong and his team gaped in disbelief.
“One punch… took down that giant?”
“Bare-handed, too…?”
But shock was fleeting. They knew these things revived even after falling.
This one would spring back up like nothing happened.
…Or so everyone thought.
……
No matter how long they waited, the fallen giant showed no sign of rising.
Confusion piled on confusion, but one thing was clear.
“It's… dead?”
This rock giant was definitely dead.
Crack.
As everyone stared in shock, only Jae-min casually flexed his fist.
He turned to the guild members with a grin.
“Got impatient, so I jumped in.”