Chapter 306
Chapter 306
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 306
Chapter Title: The Hydra Awakens
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The news from the city of Hameln spread like wildfire.
Many people had died or been injured, and the city had been reduced to ruins in an instant, but that wasn't the focus of the reports.
"Hydra..."
"It's revived?"
Those who heard the news felt a chill run down their spines.
Hydra.
To the rankers who had been climbing the Tower for years, that name had long been synonymous with terror.
How many rankers had perished without conquering it? And even among the survivors, how many had been left crippled by the poison's aftereffects? Even now, decades later, there were no shortage of people haunted by the echo of its roar in their ears.
Kim Il-su was just as shocked by the news.
"So it happened after all."
He had seen it coming from watching Lee Soo-hyuk's stream. He'd even suspected that a Hydra might revive somewhere.
But he hadn't expected that suspicion to become reality so quickly.
It felt like the cruel joke of fate. Right after Soo-hyuk took down a Hydra on his broadcast, this one appeared here in a fit of rage.
The problem was that unlike the one Soo-hyuk had slain, this Hydra had nine heads.
Kim Il-su issued orders to the guild member who had relayed the news via Kit.
"Reach out to the other guilds for cooperation. We'll take it down together."
The report had come from Pierre.
He had left Blue House and was in a spot relatively close to the Hydra. His voice was urgent.
Wherever the Hydra passed, only ruins remained. Its massive body crushed cities just by moving through them, and the breath it exhaled was potent poison in itself.
Every minute counted in this situation. If things continued like this, countless more lives would be lost.
"We can't shoulder it all ourselves."
"Taking it down just with us would mean too many casualties on our end."
To raid the Hydra, Blue Zone would have to make significant sacrifices too.
Of course, things were different now. Players were far stronger than before, and the Hydra—once impossible without Soo-hyuk—was no longer an impregnable foe.
But even so, subduing it would demand heavy losses.
"You rookies wouldn't get it, but Guardians are like that. You think we can handle it ourselves just because it popped out from the past?"
"Quit yapping and send the support request first. I'll be prepping on my end."
Kim Il-su's orders were firm. He had no intention of letting Blue Zone bear the full burden.
The call with Pierre ended. His final response dripped with dissatisfaction toward the guild master's directive.
Kim Il-su sank deep into his chair, exhaustion washing over him as he ended the call.
A sigh he had tried to hold back slipped out. No matter where it stemmed from, the nagging sense that something was going terribly wrong wouldn't leave him.
"It's only getting worse."
Hydra.
He never imagined the day would come when he'd have to hunt it down again.
Whoosh—.
It was a sensation he hadn't felt in ages.
The entire world faded away, his vision flickered, and everything around him shifted.
The bone-deep fatigue that had felt mortal was gone, and the pain in his legs vanished. Only now did it truly sink in that the trial was over.
Moments later, his vision returned.
The viewers had journeyed up the Tower alongside him.
He had turned on the broadcast multiple times, taken several trials, and reached the next floor, but this time felt different.
This was the 9th floor—a world he had never seen even in his previous life. For the first time, Soo-hyuk explored it with his viewers, hearts and minds aligned.
The portal to the 9th floor Soo-hyuk arrived at was in the center of the city.
The city's layout was bizarre. The first thing to catch his eye was a towering, sleek building that looked like a mixed-use skyscraper.
Right beside it stood a sprawling estate straight out of the Murim World, flanked by a medieval manor and a soaring castle.
Structures from countless worlds clashed together in a chaotic jumble, refusing to blend yet somehow coexisting.
It was as if multiple realms had collided and fused into one. This harmonious discord was the defining trait of the world.
Clementine was as generous as ever. Dropping 10,000 points on a simple question.
"My take?"
Soo-hyuk scanned the city one last time and chuckled.
"It's a total mess."
The viewers agreed with Soo-hyuk's assessment. Floor 9 was messy more than beautiful, chaotic more than orderly.
As he looked around the city, Soo-hyuk tilted his head skyward.
The sky was nothing special, as expected. Yet he found himself gazing up at it more than anything else.
It was strange.
The same sky as always.
'It's closer.'
He had the illusion that he was nearer to whatever lay at that distant edge.
Bzzz—.
Just then, as his impressions of the 9th floor wrapped up, his Kit buzzed.
Messages piled up from the trials finally arrived.
'Siwoo?'
The message was from Siwoo.
He surely knew Soo-hyuk was in the midst of trials. Sending a message anyway meant it was urgent.
Soo-hyuk checked it.
Soo-hyuk's eyes darkened. He had anticipated it, so no surprise, but it wasn't something to brush off.
There was a difference between speculation and confirmation. Apparently, Siwoo and Ye-ryeong had tracked Hydra traces after watching the stream.
'Finding traces means it's not far off...'
That thought had just finished when—
Bzzz—.
His Kit buzzed again.
Another message from Siwoo—this one right now, not a delayed one.
Was it telling him to focus on trials or hurry over? Ye-ryeong's message right after suggested the situation was dire.
Makes sense. A Hydra sighting wouldn't allow for calm.
'Guess they aren't watching the stream.'
If they were, they'd know the trials just ended. That meant they were rushing without pause.
Urgency gripped Soo-hyuk too. Fresh off trials, he was tired, but no time to rest easy.
Viewers familiar with Soo-hyuk's streams pegged this as the end. He had streamed long without breaks before, and with trials done, it was prime cutoff time.
And indeed, Soo-hyuk had planned to end here.
But.
"The stream isn't over yet."
Plans changed.
He had hoped for a breather, but duty called to move faster.
"Gotta head back down."
"The Hydra's coming!"
"It's the Hydra! Run!"
Brahma was plunged into utter chaos.
The neighboring city of Hameln had fallen. In mere hours—no, less.
Brahma had more rankers residing in it than Hameln. Thanks to that, several had stepped up to intercept the Hydra.
Brahma's ranker bloc moved to the city's outskirts, assuming defensive positions.
'A Hydra, huh.'
His hand gripping the sturdy shield grew slick with nervous sweat.
He had come to protect the city where his family lived, but fear was inevitable before the name Hydra.
"Don't lose heart, everyone!"
Leading the rankers was Phyllis, a high ranker in Brahma.
Over two meters tall with muscles like carved steel, he approached Block and declared,
"It's just a ghost from over 20 years ago. Today's rankers are leagues above those from back then."
Phyllis boosted morale one by one.
Brahma boasted over 100 rankers, plus Phyllis himself—two high rankers total.
'Just a floor 8 Guardian.'
Phyllis's eyes gleamed as he stoked his fighting spirit. He saw this as an opportunity.
'I can make a name for myself here.'
Hydra's legend always came paired with Lee Soo-hyuk.
Slaying it would put his name on the same level.
"I-it's coming!"
"The Hydraaa!"
In the distance, the Hydra approached.
A serpentine monster with nine heads.
Crushing all nine would place his name alongside the giants' guild leaders.
"Alright. Everyone, get re—"
"Ready my ass. What bullshit."
As Phyllis raised his massive cleaver to shout, a voice came from right in front of him.
Startled, Phyllis stepped back. How had she gotten so close undetected? She stood just a step away.
Shorter than the hulking Phyllis by two handspans, her face half-masked.
Phyllis recognized her instantly.
"...Kim Ye-ryeong?"
"Hah. Hah. Gonna die... outta breath, seriously."
As if she had sprinted here, she panted heavily.
Her appearance stirred the crowd.
The "death" of Kim Ye-ryeong and her return were already big news. But seeing her in person felt like spotting a ghost—hard to believe.
And recently, hadn't she slain the Poison King, a Murim high ranker?
"Why are you here?"
Phyllis retreated, drawing the cleaver from his back.
"Sacheon Tang Clan next on your list?"
"What nonsense? I rushed here 'cause I figured you'd fuck it up."
"Fuck it up?"
"You were gonna fight that thing? Ugh, still outta breath."
Ye-ryeong exhaled deeply and shook her head.
"Just run. Don't fight. Evacuate the civilians."
"Scared we'll slay the Hydra and ruin your legend?"
"Sigh. I said it just in case. You think that's pushover?"
"It's not that it looks easy..."
The Hydra at the plain's end looked even larger than before.
Odd.
Visible from earlier, yet it hadn't closed much distance.
'Why hasn't it gotten closer?'
Suddenly it hit him.
Ye-ryeong sighed at Phyllis's dawning realization.
She could read his thoughts plain as day.
"Looks small 'cause it's far? Or you underestimate it 'cause it's a floor 8 monster? Don't even know what a Guardian is?"
Kyaaaaah—!
The Hydra's roar slammed down from the clouds, chilling Phyllis to the bone.
Only after Ye-ryeong's warning and the roar did it sink in.
Guardian.
The catastrophe of one loose in the world.