Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Defense at Gangneung Entrance
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Gangneung entrance.
The main force of Black Tortoise Hall was waiting there.
"Mm. Just as expected, they're swarming out."
Choi Jeong-hun, the deputy hall leader of Black Tortoise Hall, clicked his tongue while gazing ahead.
That was because 4-star and 5-star magic beasts were charging out from the entrance leading into Gangneung.
"Just as the hall leader feared."
Standing beside Choi Jeong-hun, Personnel Director Lee Yeon-hwa removed the long pipe—easily thirty centimeters—from her mouth, exhaled a long plume of smoke, and spoke. She was dressed in her usual modern fusion hanbok design.
The fusion hanbok she wore was a custom-made barrier coat embedded with magic stones, making it more than suitable for combat.
"Can't we just hold them off here?"
In response to Lee Yeon-hwa, a stern-looking man in his late thirties who appeared to be the Finance Director, Kim Jae-hyun, pushed up his glasses and replied.
He had originally been slightly plump, but now he looked somewhat gaunt.
Moreover, compared to when he had first met Shin Yu-hyun after the time regression, his forehead seemed a bit wider.
"I hope we can block them without any issues."
Gazing at the magic beasts rushing toward them, Kim Jae-hyun let out a sigh.
Because Shin Yu-hyun kept stirring up trouble everywhere, cleanup was always his responsibility.
That said, he couldn't complain to Shin Yu-hyun about it. Whenever Shin Yu-hyun did something, it always brought benefits to Black Tortoise Hall.
Because of that, he missed the leisurely days of the past.
Now, with Black Tortoise Hall developing rapidly, he was busier than ever.
"Isn't that why we're still here?"
A man responded to Kim Jae-hyun's words.
He was a man with a long vertical scar across his left eye.
Choi Han-seong, captain of the Black Tortoise Sword Division.
A man in his early forties wearing a black military-style coat, he led the Black Tortoise Sword Division and had recently reached the peak of 4-star rank.
These four were the core executives running Black Tortoise Hall.
Of course, there were other key figures in Black Tortoise Hall now, like Lee Chae-hwa leading the Crimson Tower, Kim Sung-hoon as captain of the Golden Bow Division, and Nam Yeon-ah researching and developing artifacts.
But these four had been managing Black Tortoise Hall for a long time.
Without them, Black Tortoise Hall's situation would have been far worse.
"That's right. That's why we've been preparing all this time."
Choi Jeong-hun looked ahead.
The Black Tortoise Sword Division members were already clashing with the magic beasts up front.
A total of forty-eight Black Tortoise Sword Division members.
'How on earth did he pull all this off?'
Suddenly thinking of their hall leader, Shin Yu-hyun, Choi Jeong-hun let a faint smile play on his lips.
When Shin Yu-hyun first received the clan’s wanted request, he thought the moment had finally come.
They couldn’t keep an incompetent direct descendant who hadn’t even opened his energy circuits in the clan forever.
Not only was the clan’s honor at stake, but Shin Yu-hyun could end up in real danger if things went wrong.
The main house of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan was no different from a demon cave.
That’s why they had decided to expel him if he failed the wanted request.
But then.
'Who would’ve thought he’d complete the wanted request.'
Choi Jeong-hun gave a wry smile.
Shin Yu-hyun’s exploits didn’t end with just completing the wanted request.
They thought he was a 1-star who couldn’t open his energy circuits, but he was actually already 2-star and took down a 2-star boss single-handedly.
Something that normally required three to five 2-star superhumans, he did alone.
That’s when it started.
The changes in Black Tortoise Hall began.
Rumors spread that Shin Yu-hyun had changed that day, and Black Tortoise Hall gradually transformed as well.
And now, so much had changed.
The Black Tortoise Sword Division, which had only up to three squads of six members each, now had four squads of two teams.
The members, who numbered fewer than twenty before, had grown to a whopping forty-eight.
With this size, they could handle a 24-man raid dungeon with room to spare.
'I had already given up...'
Gazing at the declining Black Tortoise Hall, Choi Jeong-hun had let go of all expectations for Shin Yu-hyun.
Most disciples chose other halls over Black Tortoise Hall.
On top of that, the other halls actively poached talented disciples, leaving Black Tortoise Hall with only rejects.
Because of that, he had waited for Shin Yu-hyun to be expelled from the clan while doing his best to keep Black Tortoise Hall afloat.
But now?
The current Black Tortoise Sword Division members were on par with those from other halls.
He had rigorously trained the existing members, and as a result, everyone’s ranks had risen several levels.
The Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan didn’t accept just anyone as disciples to begin with.
Even those considered lacking among the disciples would have been recognized talents elsewhere.
And thanks to Shin Yu-hyun’s achievements, they had even recruited talented disciples.
Among them were surprisingly Lee Jung-hoon’s gang and Choi Hyun-seong, a low 4-star instructor who had his eye on disciples from other halls.
Choi Hyun-seong was now part of 1st Sword Squad, while Lee Jung-hoon’s group was in 4th Sword Squad.
And the changes in Black Tortoise Hall weren’t limited to the sword division.
They had added the Golden Bow Division and Crimson Tower as well.
With all those preparations complete, Black Tortoise Hall had come to reclaim Gangneung.
"No matter what, we hold this line!"
Choi Jeong-hun drew his sword and shouted toward the Black Tortoise Sword Division members who had begun fighting the magic beasts. In response, Lee Yeon-hwa, Kim Jae-hyun, and Choi Han-seong each drew their own weapons.
The number of magic beasts was growing to the point where the Sword Division alone couldn’t handle them.
Soon, Choi Jeong-hun dashed forward with lightfoot skill toward the Black Tortoise Sword Division members.
Kyaaack!
A nearly humanoid body about three meters tall, but with an abnormally large upper body that made the lower body look relatively small.
Still, compared to a human, the lower body was about the same size.
Whoosh!
The Clay Doll raised its massive arm toward the human in front of it.
"Damn it."
Lee Dae-young, captain of Black Tortoise 2nd Sword Squad standing before it, gritted his teeth at the sight of the Clay Doll’s enormous fist coming down on him.
Originally the 3rd Sword Squad captain, he had gritted his teeth and trained after being ambushed by the Iron Reinforcement Group in the 3-star dungeon, Arachne Nest.
As a result, he had advanced from peak 3-star to 4-star rank.
Low 4-star.
And now, he was pushing beyond that toward mid 4-star.
Recognized for his achievements, Lee Dae-young had been promoted from 3rd Sword Squad captain to 2nd Sword Squad captain.
Boom!
Lee Dae-young swiftly blocked the Clay Doll’s descending fist with the flat side of his greatsword.
"Urk!"
A heavy, crushing blow.
In an instant, Lee Dae-young’s feet cracked through the asphalt, sinking into the ground.
He had managed to defend, but without activating Body Strengthening Technique, his entire skeleton would have shattered.
Whoosh!
In that moment, the Clay Doll’s second attack flew toward the greatsword Lee Dae-young held.
'Damn! Blocking two in a row is tough.'
His whole body already ached like he’d been beaten, leaving Lee Dae-young unable to do anything.
He could only wait for the next attack.
At that moment, Lee Dae-young sensed a presence behind him.
Swish!
Someone leaped over his head and cleanly bisected the Clay Doll into two pieces.
Startled by the sight, Lee Dae-young looked at the figure who had landed between him and the Clay Doll, swinging down their greatsword, and shouted with a beaming expression.
"Deputy Hall Leader!"
The one who saved Lee Dae-young was none other than Choi Jeong-hun.
"You alright?"
"Yes. I can still hold."
Lee Dae-young nodded in response to Choi Jeong-hun’s question.
At that moment,
Slurp.
The Clay Doll, which Choi Jeong-hun had clearly cut into two pieces, began merging back into one?
"Annoying."
Choi Jeong-hun frowned at the Clay Doll reforming its white clay-like body, then raised his greatsword again.
Most swordsmen of Black Tortoise Hall used Black Tortoise Swordsmanship.
Its characteristic was defensive, heavy strikes.
In other words, it was a sword style that defended against enemy attacks and countered with heavy, sharp blows when an opening appeared.
But Black Tortoise Swordsmanship wasn’t always so defensive.
Among its forms were aggressive—no, domineering ones.
Stab!
Choi Jeong-hun thrust his greatsword into the Clay Doll’s chest.
Boom!
Suddenly, aura exploded violently from the greatsword Choi Jeong-hun had thrust in.
The domineering Sixth Form of Black Tortoise Heavy Sword’s latter techniques: Killing Explosion.
A ferocious form that exploded the enemy’s internals, inflicting massive damage.
And it was the perfect counter to the Clay Doll.
The reason the Clay Doll could revive even after being bisected was the core inside its body.
And the core could freely move within the upper body.
That’s why it survived when Choi Jeong-hun cut it in two.
But with Killing Explosion detonating inside, the Clay Doll’s upper body shattered to pieces.
Naturally, the core was obliterated as well.
"Looks like it won’t come back now."
Choi Jeong-hun coldly looked down at the shattered fragments of the Clay Doll.
Unless they were fellow members of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, he showed no mercy to magic beasts or enemies.
He always made them pay the price.
That’s why Choi Jeong-hun also harbored hatred for the Iron Reinforcement Group and Getia Worshippers.
Because of those bastards, clan members had been sacrificed.
He had even helped interrogate Iron Reinforcement Group executives and Getia Worshippers.
Kieeeek!
Kyaaack!
At the monstrous cries echoing from afar, Choi Jeong-hun looked ahead.
The initial wave of magic beasts had mostly been dealt with.
But far more were now charging out of Gangneung in a furious rage.
Probably pissed off thinking their territory was being invaded.
"What kind of numbers..."
Lee Dae-young stared at the oncoming magic beasts with dismay.
Their hall leader, Shin Yu-hyun, had already cleared an enormous number of them.
Yet the horde surging toward Seoul, the city of Korea’s superhumans, like moths to a flame, was still vast.
Thud!
Choi Jeong-hun planted his greatsword into the ground in front of the Black Tortoise Sword Division members.
Standing tall alongside it, he shouted.
"These are the lord’s orders! Don’t let a single one through!"
Woooong!
At his words, the Black Tortoise Sword Division members rallied their energy once more.
Their combined auras unleashed an overwhelming presence.
Kik?
Kieek?
The moment some magic beasts faltered at the sudden intense pressure from ahead,
They were trampled by the ones chasing from behind.
Thanks to that, part of the magic beasts’ formation charging toward the Black Tortoise Sword Division collapsed.
Kyaaack!
In an instant, chaos erupted in the magic beasts’ ranks, cries echoing everywhere.
At that moment,
Kaboom!
Part of the magic beasts’ formation exploded.
"Choi Jin-seong?"
Choi Jeong-hun smirked at the sight.
Choi Jin-seong, who had been watching from the rear, had begun sniping the magic beasts.
The sniper shots were so powerful that small explosions ripped apart several beasts.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Not only that, support fire from the Golden Bow Division followed.
Only twelve members, but the arrows flying over the Sword Division’s heads numbered in the hundreds.
At least a hundred, at minimum.
And it wasn’t over yet.
Roar!
Right after the volley of arrows passed, a spectacular display of flames erupted over the Sword Division’s heads.
Led by Lee Chae-hwa, the Crimson Tower mages had finished casting and unleashed attack spells.
Thus, the Golden Bow Division’s arrows and the Crimson Tower’s magic poured down on the magic beasts.
A moment later,
Kaboom boom boom boom boom boom boom!
Deafening explosions and monstrous shrieks resounded near the Gangneung entrance.