Flames Engulf Guro Digital Complex
"Mana scan complete! ...! Commander!"
At the operator's report, Shin Jin-gwang checked the map again. The precise scan of the area designated by Unsa had revealed countless monster reactions popping up at that point. Shin Jin-gwang bit his lip at the clustered monster responses.
"They're gathered at each stronghold?"
The monsters' reactions weren't scattered randomly but bunched up in spots. Those locations were perfect strategic chokepoints for ambushing heroes. If they'd passed by unaware, the heroes might have been kidnapped by monsters bursting from the ground—or worse, slaughtered.
Shin Jin-gwang's eyes twitched at the massive number of monsters waiting along the advance route he'd chosen himself.
"A-rank reaction confirmed!"
And then a mana reaction utterly different from the B-ranks was detected. At the tail end of a long line of hellhound packs, an A-rank monster had coiled itself in the heart of the urban center.
"Central Guro Digital Complex! ...Commander! It's a dangerous species!"
Shin Jin-gwang slammed his baton down on the table.
"Damn it! What the hell happened?! There were no monster reactions when the operation started! How do you plan to take responsibility, you incompetents?!"
Shin Jin-gwang had set the advance route through areas with no monster reactions. He'd meticulously checked each one in advance, so the sudden emergence of these monsters—and the association's observers failing to notice—filled him with rage.
Commander.
Unsa, having just devoured a hellhound, calmed Shin Jin-gwang down.
"These are monsters that hid underground in the aftermath of the battle and have now awakened. It's no surprise we couldn't scan the ones buried beneath the earth. The real issue is that there are more enemies than expected, and one hero has been kidnapped right now..."
"We have just over an hour until the scheduled Yeouido assault! How the hell are we supposed to reclaim Seoul like this?!"
"Commander, if I may suggest: Rather than getting bogged down and wasting time here, we should maintain our formation and push north. Otherwise, we'll burn through our mana and stamina for nothing."
Shin Jin-gwang groaned at Unsa's words. Rationally, her plan made perfect sense, but it felt like relinquishing command of the operation again, and he couldn't bring himself to decide.
"Commander."
Unsa bowed her head.
"Due to my oversight, C-rank hero Lee Gi-seong has been kidnapped by the monsters. They likely dragged agent Lee Gi-seong to their enemy base, the 'nest.' If we can pinpoint his location..."
"Find that bastard's position right now!"
The operator quickly searched for Lee Gi-seong's mana reaction. His mana was faint, nearly depleted, but like ants leaving pheromones, a very subtle trace stretched north along the main road. That led straight to Guro Digital Complex, the spot Unsa had marked as the probable location of the superior species.
"Good! Here's the order: Unsa, take A-Team, rescue Lee Gi-seong, and destroy the nest!"
It was a solid achievement. One hero sacrificed, but destroying a monster nest that had already produced over a hundred hellhounds? Trading a C-rank hero for a monster nest and an A-rank dangerous species was an outstanding result, even by his own estimation.
'I won't forget your sacrifice... hero!'
Shin Jin-gwang offered silent condolences to the hero whose name he couldn't even recall.
"Order received. Executing."
Four heroes broke from the formation amid the ranks and charged north. Unsa, Tempest Lady, Red Pine, and Iron Marker. The vanguard of four A-rank heroes raced toward Guro at full speed.
"Kyaaak!"
Iron Marker's skin hardened like steel. Gleaming as he ran, he lived up to his moniker, ripping through hellhounds like a steel panther.
"Die!"
"It's over!"
With each swing of Red Pine's blade, hellhound heads flew like a mad swordsman's dance.
Tempest Lady raised both arms high, a massive sphere of wind coalescing above her palms.
"Team leader!"
"Hraaaah!!"
Unsa swung her spear with a shout, smashing the storm-charged air orb forward. The mana-compressed gale pulverized the hellhound pack blocking their path.
"Keeek?!"
"That's it, you're doing great! A-Team, push north!"
Amid the blood-soaked battlefield, Shin Jin-gwang excitedly ordered the advance.
"Hellhound packs are moving to follow A-Team! They're trying to block the route!"
The hellhounds encircling the perimeter broke off and raced north. At first, he feared a rear assault, but they overtook the heroes, aiming to seize the main road.
'Even with a command entity...!'
No matter how superior a species commanding over a hundred hellhounds, it was still just a monster. Preposterous for mere beasts to outthink intelligent humans.
"B-Team has arrived in Gangnam! Hellhounds are engaging!"
"What?! Without a report?!"
Shin Jin-gwang checked the screen. Contrary to the operator's words, B-Team hadn't even entered Gangnam yet.
"Villains, villains! Gangnam villains have appeared to intercept the hellhounds!"
Vagabonds emerging from roads torn up and buildings ransacked. Wrapped in ragged cloaks, they brandished their weapons, glaring down the hellhounds.
"Grrr..."
The hellhound pack descending on Gangnam hesitated, sizing up their foes.
At the villains' forefront, a middle-aged man in a fedora revved the motor of his chainsaw.
"Villain wanted list confirmed! A-rank villain Haneulseong!"
"!!"
Shin Jin-gwang slyly pulled up a screen out of others' sight. The execution list personally handed down by the president before this operation. Seeds of evil to be killed if alive, utterly erased if dead: Black Goat, Shaman, Lighthouse, Earth Dog, Architect, Blood Sea, Stookie, and more. Villains south of the Han River, identified through intel.
Haneulseong was the boss ruling Gangnam.
'We have to capture them all...!'
Not just kill them. Capture and drag them to the scaffold—to show Korea's villains the exemplary end awaiting them.
"B-Team! Charge in! Kill the monsters, shoot the villains—no, capture them!"
Suppressing his true feelings, Shin Jin-gwang's order prompted B-Team to strike the hellhounds' rear. Heroes and villains. Different alignments, but united against the common enemy: monsters. The hellhound pack split, tearing into humanity from both sides.
* * *
"The herding is done. Movements in Seocho and Gangdong. Villains."
At Ji-hwa's report, I stopped manipulating the hellhounds. Having bundled the individuals into packs with simple orders, I focused on the conversation with Ji-hwa.
"What kind of movements?"
"Both heading to Gangnam. Looks like support."
"Black Flame Dragon makes sense, but Shaman's a bit unexpected."
I'd thought she'd run. Loosening the commands let the heroes regain the upper hand. Hellhounds charged on pure instinct to kill, while heroes dispatched them effortlessly.
"Mass control is still tricky, huh..."
'But primary objective achieved.'
Cube-produced hellhounds anyway. As the packs in Guro and Gangnam were swiftly eliminated, I relayed retreat points to each team leader.
"Good work. Gangnam Team, Guro Team—hide at the designated spots. From here on, it's a battle of ability users."
All hellhounds were already ordered to their destinations. While buying time against heroes, Cheonghwadan members gripping their leashes had begun slipping away from prying eyes.
"Retreat of the combatants is yours, Ji-hwa."
Yes. I'll get them all out alive.
No reason to throw poorly armed ragtag subordinates into the meat grinder as cannon fodder.
"Hold until the heroes bite the bait."
Go underground. Follow subway lines to the rally point.
Ji-hwa issued orders, relayed through mini-phoenixes, and the subordinates scattered. Ex-vagabonds, they knew hiding spots like the back of their hands.
'Now, the heroes are the problem.'
"Still top-tier even rotten. All elites for the first subjugation op."
With map hacks overlooking the field and mass-producing B-rank hellhounds for ambushes, we'd only snagged one C-rank hero. Monsters driven solely by destruction and slaughter couldn't outsmart rational humans.
"Should we make more kaijin?"
"Anyone in mind?"
Ji-hwa jumped at my musing—probably thought I was asking her, connection still open.
Since the topic was hot, I asked her opinion on good candidates.
"How about Black Flame Dragon? That guy as a kaijin would go full dark side."
"...I'll pass."
Black Flame Dragon racing to join Gangnam made me chuckle. He saw his A-rank awakening as divine grace and followed Cheonghwadan loyally.
'If he dies, turn him into a kaijin and use him.'
"Not him, then other villains? Doesn't have to be one."
"Then heroes into kaijin...? Oh, branch manager. Heroes entering the field."
View shifted to Guro. Short break over. Rubbing my hands, I prepped phase two.
"Got it. Time to..."
Heroes entered the Digital Complex. I awakened the mana in the fire orbs I'd ordered embedded everywhere.
Wooong—
Glass-bead-like orbs embedded in walls began to vibrate. Basketball-sized fire orbs, each a high-explosive bomb.
"Let's see how they move with no escape."
Heroes advanced, clearing hellhounds. Once the last in the rear entered range, I clapped.
Clap.
"Welcome! To Guro!"
Fireworks in greeting. Big ones.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
Fire orbs detonated. Outer ones first, chain-reacting inward through every building.
"Duck!"
One hero crouched, shielding his head. No intent to collapse buildings entirely, but the city-shaking blasts would duck anyone instinctively.
Kwang, kwaaaang!
Pillars of fire and dust shot skyward. Explosions and crumbling buildings echoed at volumes beyond human hearing.
Thud, thud, thud!
Guro's outer buildings toppled like dominoes. Explosions caved the ground, shattered supports, tilted structures sliding to block roads.
"Thanks to modern civilization."
Towering high-rises lay across boulevards, sealing them. Breaching meant leaping ten-plus meters of debris.
"No retreat. Climb over if fleeing, but..."
Hellhounds waiting outside scaled the wreckage. Siheung interchange encirclement was the appetizer; this was the main course.
"They probably mistook the A-rank here for the commander and rushed in..."
'I'm not in Guro.'
Arena-master amid concrete ruins had swallowed the spirit stone, prepped. Tearing open pre-bought convenience store popcorn, I commanded.
"Begin, Subordinate No. 2."
Kwaaaaaang!
A flame giant burst through a 20-story building's outer wall.