Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Stampede at the Gates
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“Magic beasts have appeared in large numbers at the east, west, south, and north main gates. Especially at the south main gate, there are reports of massive hordes along with multiple 4-star and 5-star bosses, so the Grand Dharma Protector headed there. The east and west are being handled by the Azure Dragon Sword Division and White Tiger Sword Division respectively. From Black Tortoise Hall, the Vice Hall Leader and his group have already set off toward the north main gate.”
“A dungeon stampede?”
“Yes, probably.”
Isia nodded with a grim expression at Shin Yu-hyun's mutter.
And at her report, Shin Yu-hyun furrowed his brow.
'An attack now of all times?'
Sure enough, in his previous life, magic beasts had assaulted the clan.
But the timing was completely different.
In his previous life, the raid on the Black Tortoise Sword Division's 3-star dungeon, Arachne's Nest, had happened first, and the attack came before the Incheon dungeon stampede began.
Who would've thought it would happen after the Incheon stampede incident?
'Is it because I resolved the Arachne's Nest incident?'
Shin Yu-hyun had wiped out the Iron Flame Group that attacked Arachne's Nest.
Perhaps that didn't prevent the Iron Flame Group's assault but merely delayed their schedule.
“What about Father, Eldest Brother, and Big Sis?”
“Unfortunately, they're not here. They left yesterday to raid a 6-star dungeon.”
“The timing's terrible.”
Shin Yu-hyun clicked his tongue at Isia's response.
If this had been before the Incheon stampede, Sword King Shin Sung-il, Storm Sword Shin Cheol-min, and Snowflower Dragon Maiden Shin Yu-ra would have been at the clan.
But they weren't now.
“What about Little Sis?”
“Lady Shin Ji-ah should be at the armory. It's one of the clan's key strongholds, after all.”
“As expected.”
Shin Ji-ah, the second daughter of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, had the sacred duty of guarding the armory where the clan's treasures were stored.
Because of that, she couldn't leave the armory even if the clan came under attack.
Besides, there were separate institutions tasked with the clan's defense.
Centered around the Clan Leader's Hall in the middle of the estate, there were the Four Directions Guardian Sword Halls: East Azure Dragon, West White Tiger, North Black Tortoise, and South Vermilion Bird.
In fact, each of the Guardian Sword Halls was currently defending one of the estate's main gates at the east, west, south, and north entrances.
And with the south handled by Grand Dharma Protector and 6-star superhuman Meteor Sword Shin Sung-hyun, there was no need to worry there.
“Are the east and west holding up?”
“The core forces of the Azure Dragon Sword Division and White Tiger Sword Division are away, but they should be fine. Both divisions have plenty of elite warriors, and the clan elders will be with them too.”
“What about our side?”
“Among the areas under attack, we have the fewest magic beasts. With the Vice Hall Leader already there, it should be okay.”
“The fewest?”
Shin Yu-hyun turned to Isia and repeated her words. In his previous life, the magic beasts that attacked the clan numbered in the hundreds.
Among them, Black Tortoise Hall had suffered the heaviest losses, he'd heard later.
And yet, the fewest?
“I'm heading to the north gate first.”
Shin Yu-hyun hurried toward the north main gate. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “Don't let a single one through!”
“Block them—no exceptions!”
At the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan's north main gate entrance, under Black Tortoise Hall's watch, about thirty Black Tortoise Sword Division members were battling roughly fifty magic beasts. [3-Star Magic Beast Gray Wolf] These wolf-like magic beasts, about two meters long, were incredibly agile and packed considerable strength.
With fifty of them moving in coordinated packs, they posed a serious threat.
'We can hold them off somehow.'
Lee Dae-young, captain of the Black Tortoise Sword Division's 3rd Squad, scanned the surroundings.
He, who had led the raid team on the 3-star dungeon Arachne's Nest, was now blocking the magic beasts with his squad.
The situation wasn't unfavorable.
Though the beasts outnumbered them nearly two-to-one, most Black Tortoise Sword Division members were 3-stars, and among the squad captains, there were even low-grade 4-stars.
Handling the invading magic beasts was no great hardship.
However.
Kurrrrumble! Boom boom boom!
A massive bolt of lightning crashed down a short distance from the gate where the Black Tortoise Sword Division fought. [5-Star Boss Magic Beast Thunder Rat Pandermaus] A boss had appeared at the north gate too. A full 5-star one, and they hadn't even known it existed at first.
It was only a meter tall with big ears, looking somewhat cute like a fancy mouse.
But soon, the Black Tortoise Sword Division members were trembling in fear.
The Pandermaus summoned lightning from clear skies, wrapped itself in bolts, and darted about with terrifying speed—a walking disaster.
'If the Vice Hall Leader hadn't come, we might've been in real trouble.'
Rawr!
Slash!
Lee Dae-young cleaved a charging Gray Wolf and glanced toward the Pandermaus.
There, Vice Hall Leader Choi Jung-hoon, along with Personnel Director Lee Yeon-hwa and Finance Manager Kim Jae-hyun, were coordinating against it.
Choi Jung-hoon was a peak low-grade 5-star swordsman, while Lee Yeon-hwa and Kim Jae-hyun were top-grade and mid-grade 4-stars respectively.
'We can hold.'
Lee Dae-young felt hope.
That Black Tortoise Hall alone could defend the north gate.
No—there was one more who had come to assist Black Tortoise Hall.
Grrraaawr!
“Huff... huff...”
A boy who had just felled a Gray Wolf lunging with tentacles.
The Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan's youngest, Shin Cheol-ho, had rushed to aid Black Tortoise Hall.
'I can't lose anymore.'
Shin Cheol-ho gritted his teeth.
His pride had been shattered by his brother Shin Yu-hyun, who couldn't even open his ki core, without a chance to explain.
After spending time in the clan infirmary, he had voluntarily secluded himself.
Too ashamed of losing to Shin Yu-hyun to show his face outside.
And for a while, he gritted his teeth through closed-door training.
Back then, Shin Cheol-ho had planned to grow stronger and get revenge on Shin Yu-hyun.
His personality wasn't soft enough to take a loss from the clan's "useless trash" lying down.
After about ten days of training, when he emerged, he heard unbelievable news.
'Already a 3-star? What nonsense is this...?'
Rumors had spread that Shin Yu-hyun had become a 3-star.
The incompetent brother who hadn't opened his ki core by age twenty, now a 3-star?
But he had to accept it.
On top of that, Jeong Tae-seong, a promising talent from Vermilion Bird Hall, had ambushed Shin Yu-hyun only to get crushed and expelled from the clan.
Hearing that, Shin Cheol-ho cursed and went back into seclusion.
He couldn't dream of winning against a 3-star Shin Yu-hyun.
Shin Cheol-ho endured hellish training fueled solely by his obsession to shatter Shin Yu-hyun's pride.
Through self-flagellation and relentless effort, he grew stronger.
From the start, he was evaluated as having exceptional potential among the direct descendants.
Thanks to his unique trait, Heavenly Martial Body (S).
And he put in the work too.
'Upper-grade 3-star. This is the fruit of my labor.'
The realm achieved through blood, sweat, and tears.
When Shin Yu-hyun broke him, he was upper-grade 2-star; after his first seclusion, he hit 3-star.
And just a day ago, reaching upper-grade 3-star, he ended his training.
'Perfect timing.'
Shin Cheol-ho smirked.
The day after returning as an upper-grade 3-star, magic beasts attacked the clan.
A golden opportunity for him.
Stand out, rack up merits, earn the clan's recognition.
And challenge Shin Yu-hyun to a duel.
To wash away the shame of defeat.
'Black Tortoise Hall will be mine to claim!'
Shin Cheol-ho spun his sword, glaring at the Gray Wolves.
At that moment.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Suddenly, the ground shook like an earthquake.
Not just Shin Cheol-ho—Lee Dae-young and the Black Tortoise Sword Division members looked around in confusion.
Whoosh!
About thirty meters ahead, the earth collapsed into a sinkhole.
Scuttle scuttle!
Something began crawling up from the sinkhole.
Shin Cheol-ho and the Black Tortoise Sword Division members dispatched Gray Wolves without taking their eyes off it.
Moments later, new magic beasts emerged from the sinkhole. [4-Star Magic Beast Soldier Ant] Soldier Ants were two-meter-tall humanoid magic beasts.
But with ant-like heads and bodies covered in tough black chitin armor.
Two arms each, wielding chitin spears as they crawled out.
Their numbers had already surpassed a hundred, and more kept coming.
“What the hell is this?”
“Where did these guys come from...?”
The Black Tortoise Sword Division members backed away instinctively, faces pale.
The pressure from the spear-wielding horde was immense.
And that wasn't all.
Screeech! [4-Star Boss Heavy Armor Ant] A massive five-meter-long ant crawled up from the sinkhole.
Unlike the Soldier Ants, the 4-star boss Heavy Armor Ant was fully ant-shaped, its body wrapped in black biological heavy armor, with twin cannons mounted on its back.
“A 4-star boss in this situation?”
The Soldier Ants now neared two hundred.
And now a 4-star boss too!
It didn't end there.
Buzz.
Wingbeats echoed from the sinkhole.
Something small shot out and hovered in the air. [5-Star Boss Red General Ant] Resembling a Soldier Ant but with crimson flame wings on its back.
The General Ant wore red chitin biological armor and gripped massive, rigid red gauntlets.
“What is that?”
“Why's a 5-star boss popping out?”
The Black Tortoise Sword Division members stared blankly at the newcomers.
“How are we supposed to deal with that...?”
Even Lee Dae-young lost his will to fight in an instant. They weren't 3-stars—these were 4-stars, twice their number.
Plus 4- and 5-star bosses.
Despair and helplessness spread among the Black Tortoise Sword Division.
Rooooaaar!
Then the 5-star boss General Ant roared from the air for three seconds.
The Black Tortoise Sword Division members' faces twisted in terror instantly.
The roar instilled fear in enemies and boosted allies' morale.
It also signaled the battle's start.
Zzzzzing!
As the General Ant's cry ended, red energy gathered at the muzzles on the Heavy Armor Ant's back.
Boom! Shwooooosh!
Moments later, a devastating red mana cannon blasted toward Shin Cheol-ho and the Black Tortoise Sword Division.
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