The Assault (2)

Clank— clank—

Footsteps echoed through the silent castle.

"Lord Peter, the hero says he has something important to discuss before his address."

The man who had entered bowed his head low as he reported to Baron Peter, lord of Bushin. At his words, Peter clicked his tongue.

"What a tiresome nuisance. Why on earth would we need an alliance, in times like these?"

"I feel much the same, my lord. Still, I see no reason to antagonize them. Might I suggest we simply humor them and send them on their way?"

Peter frowned at that.

A pact, was it?

The United Nations of Heroes, they called themselves. A pack of insufferable heroes had come peddling an agreement, promising protection from monsters.

Peter's answer had long since been decided.

Refusal.

There was no need for such a treaty. The heroes policed the surrounding monsters on their own through the guild system that society had built around them. Thanks to that, monsters had all but gone extinct near the World Tree — one would struggle to find so much as a stray one these days.

What possible reason was there to sign a pact and pay for safety that already existed?

Five years ago, things might have been different.

In the past, perhaps. But now, there was not a single reason to grovel before heroes. If it were monsters, that would be one thing — but when it came to keeping the heroes themselves in check, his preparations were already complete.

And yet the UN had made him an offer he could not easily refuse.

They had handed over ten pieces of top-grade equipment and fifty million gold, on the spot.

It made no sense. The heroes already possessed more than enough power. By his estimation, they could bring all five kingdoms to ruin if they truly put their minds to it. So why, of all things, come courting an alliance now?

Something's off.

Having reached his verdict, Peter spoke.

"For now, I shall follow your counsel."

"A wise judgment, my lord. I will summon the hero at once."

The man bowed deeply and was just turning to leave when—

"My lord!!! We have a crisis!"

A man's cry burst in from outside, and with a BOOM!!!! the entire castle shuddered.

"Wh-what in the world—!"

Baron Peter, startled out of his wits, rushed outside.

"Somebody, please save me!"

"AAAAGH!!! Someone, help! Anyone!"

Burning buildings. People bleeding in the streets. Could the heroes have turned on one another? That would almost have been preferable — but then a single creature entered Peter's field of vision.

Thump— thump—

Massive wings. Horns. A figure so chilling it crawled down his spine like ice—

"A d-demon?!"

It had been a full five years since monsters had last poured into the castle grounds.

"How..."

How could a monster have gotten inside? The defenses had been airtight.

As Peter stood flustered, a quiet voice sounded beside him.

"My, my. What a disaster."

Peter's gaze swung to the man. A hero dispatched from the newly founded United Nations of Heroes.

"What are you doing? Go and slay that thing at once!"

Peter demanded it as naturally as breathing. Monsters were prey for heroes — that was how it had been for over a decade.

But the answer that came back left him floundering.

"I'd love to, truly. But the UN has issued directives."

"Directives?"

"A treaty clause. We only aid nations that have signed the accord."

"What did you just say?!"

Peter's face hardened to stone. Translated into plain terms, the man was saying that any nation that hadn't shaken their hand could be left to burn.

"You bastards..."

While Peter trembled with rage at the hero's proposal, the UN's dispatched hero — Jeong Hantae — narrowed his eyes as he watched the baron.

Suspicious old fossil, aren't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you.

He gazed down at the chaos below with cold, detached eyes.

—AAAAARGH!!!!

Adros's minion shrieked.

"Fall back! Now!"

"Shit, don't let it touch you! It absorbs mana!"

The heroes who had strutted around with such confidence began to scatter one by one. There had been more than fifty of them.

Which meant the creature had already absorbed more than enough mana.

As if to prove it—

"Hkk— don't engage that thing, just run! Request backup from the guild!"

Even Lee Jeonghoon — Rank 181 and the real power behind the Hukgyeol Guild — had been no match for it.

Was there anyone in Bushin who could stop that thing?

By tomorrow, it'll all be over.

Jeong Hantae was certain of it. By this time tomorrow, that baron would be groveling flat on the ground, begging for salvation.

Just as Jeong Hantae's expression settled into something artificial in its coldness, a pop! of bursting air rang out.

And then came a silence so complete it was almost unnatural.

"Huh?"

—AAAAAAGH!!!

Adros's minion screamed as it hurled itself at Lee Jeonghoon. Perhaps it was because it had already drained the strength of dozens of heroes.

Damn it all!

Its speed, its destructive force — everything about it felt comparable to a field boss.

Bringing down a field boss required at least fifty heroes, and even then success was never guaranteed. They were absurdly, maddeningly powerful. And now such a being had appeared inside the city walls. What would come of it? Bushin could collapse at any moment, and no one would find it strange.

That was what he had believed, without a doubt.

Ding—

Pop—

Then an incomprehensible sight unfolded before his eyes.

"Wh-what the..."

A man who had been tearing into meat right there in the street threw a single punch — and the minion, so terrifying a moment ago, burst apart like a balloon.

It was more unreal than the day he'd first been transported to Elid.

That man is...

Kang Woobin.

Now he understood why his master had ordered him to keep that man under watch.

Just as Lee Jeonghoon's thoughts failed to keep pace with events, voices rang out around him.

"Over here!"

"Captain! Are you all right?!"

Hukgyeol Guild members who had arrived in support gathered around Jeonghoon.

"Fractured ribs, a ruptured intestine — get healing on him first, quickly!"

"That's our captain for you. Even Lee Jonggu couldn't have taken it down, and you did it alone."

"A current ranker really is built different. Absolutely incredible!"

The guild members heaped praise ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on Lee Jeonghoon, hoisting him up in admiration. Apparently, they had mistaken him for the one who'd slain the minion.

"I wasn't the one who—"

Jeonghoon moved to correct the record, pointing toward the man who had actually finished the creature off.

But in that instant, Woobin's eyes locked directly onto his.

Eyes that seemed hollow and empty, yet burned with something ferocious beneath. As if they were trying to say something.

Stay quiet. Is that it?

For whatever reason, the man seemed averse to drawing attention.

Having received basic treatment, Lee Jeonghoon rose to his feet with an awkward look and immediately began issuing orders.

"All right, enough idle talk — let's move. We're rescuing the residents and deploying for recovery operations."

"Yes, sir!"

"Somebody, please help me..."

A woman's sobs drifted up from beneath the rubble of a collapsed building.

"Save me..."

The monsters ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were gone, but the cries for help rose from every direction. At the sight of it, Min Juhee's expression hardened.

"Woobin, shouldn't we help those people?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Ah... would it be all right if I went for a bit?"

Perhaps the incident with Kim Baekcheong still weighed on her, but she seemed unusually wary of Woobin's reaction.

Woobin gave a small nod without a word, and Juhee bowed politely before dashing toward the ruined building.

"Just hold on a little longer."

Reaching the wreckage, Min Juhee squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the massive slab of wall.

She had fully expected it not to budge. But then—

"Huh?"

The enormous wall heaved upward in her small hands. It felt surreal — how to put it? Like lifting a board of wood that was only slightly heavy.

"Are you all right?"

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

As Min Juhee came to understand the true majesty of her Status, Woobin's gaze drifted into empty air.

What is this...

The messages trembled violently, then cut out with a fzzt—

An error?

This had never happened before. He knew this world worked something like a game — had some kind of problem cropped up?

He kept waiting, but nothing further appeared. Then, by chance, his eye caught a single object on the ground.

An oval stone glowing with golden light. He vaguely recalled it embedded in the monster's chest.

A crafting material?

Woobin picked up the golden orb without really thinking about it. It radiated a luminous, dazzling aura — the kind of presence an item exuded — yet no system window appeared.

Just a piece of corpse, then?

He was tilting his head when the white-haired NPC who had been standing nearby began shambling toward the golden orb.

"What are you doing?"

Woobin instinctively pushed her face away, trying to pry her back — but she clung on with obsessive persistence.

Come to think of it, why does she keep following me around?

He'd been focused on gathering intel and tracking Jeong Hantae's movements, so he hadn't paid this NPC any mind. But at some point she had started trailing after Juhee like a lost puppy. What on earth was this NPC's deal?

"J-just let me look at it!"

The moment the woman's slender fingers made contact with the golden stone — tink — a flash of light burst out.

"Huh?"

Woobin pulled his hand back at that reaction, and naturally, the NPC's hand closed around the stone.

"..."

The NPC lifted the golden stone and clutched it tight against her chest. Before long, tears welled up in her eyes and she began to weep.

Is she a lunatic?

This had passed beyond strange and into suspicious territory.

"All done, right? Hand it over."

Woobin plucked the stone straight out of the NPC's hand.

"N-no! Please, give it back!"

The woman stretched out both hands in desperation, flailing after it. Woobin brushed the NPC aside with little ceremony and turned his attention back to the item.

Woobin's eyebrows twitched. A system window had appeared — one that hadn't shown itself a moment ago.

"An artificial mana stone?"

Before the question could even settle, a cascade of messages burst forth.

Ding—