Chapter 139: How a Veteran Shakes Up the Battlefield (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: How a Veteran Shakes Up the Battlefield (2)
About three hours had passed since they formed a temporary alliance with the Frostblade Tribe.
Yu Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min, who had gone out on reconnaissance, rejoined them just a moment ago.
Jinhyuk had also parted ways with Caracal and settled down with the rest of the group.
[Lee Tae-min activates the Anti-Army Fortress 'Sedes'.]
An ability that allowed him to command all his summons at once.
Hundreds of mechanized troops were deployed throughout the forest.
Whirrrrr!
Fully charged magic shells emitted an eerie, resonant hum.
"Whew..."
Yu Yeon-hwa also checked her knuckles and caught her breath.
The mana refined through the 'Grand Purity Hwarang Heart Method' spread to every corner of her body.
'As expected, both of their growth rates are incredible.'
Jinhyuk let out a quiet exclamation of admiration.
He hadn't realized it because they had been acting separately, but seeing the way they handled their skills and mana, he couldn't help but think that veterans were indeed veterans.
Compared to these two, Jang Eun-seok, whom he had met not long ago, looked like a squealing water deer of a noob.
This was why past experience was so important.
They waited for the enemy to arrive with everything fully prepared, but...
Even as the night deepened, there was no noticeable movement from the enemy's side.
"It's strange. It's too quiet."
Lee Tae-min, who was monitoring the forest through [Machine Lord], spoke up.
The number of drones currently floating in the sky was a whopping thirty.
He was maintaining a precarious distance to maximize their operational range while simultaneously avoiding detection by the enemy.
This meant he had complete control over the area.
However, as the uncomfortably quiet silence dragged on, Tae-min couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
Yu Yeon-hwa felt equally uneasy about the situation.
"Oppa. Didn't you say there was someone even more troublesome besides the two Blood Clan members?"
"I did."
Jinhyuk nodded.
Indeed, Caracal had said that a member of the Blood Clan even stronger than Bertion and Ophelia had come from the Decasus Family. If they possessed enough power to make even Caracal tremble in fear, there was no reason for them to lag behind in military strength...
It was just as he was thinking that.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Suddenly, a massive tremor shook the area.
The earth trembled, and an immeasurably powerful surge of mana could be felt.
"H-Hyung!"
Lee Tae-min shouted.
The drones flew rapidly toward a certain direction.
Could this be...
"The trolls! It's the direction where the ice trolls are!"
Yu Yeon-hwa pointed in one direction.
At the same time,
a storm of mana created by dark red sparks plummeted from the sky. Right toward the Freshwater Lake.
Boom!
Crash! Kaboom!
Like a falling meteor shower, lightning began to tear the ground to shreds.
It was a sight that could only be described as a catastrophe.
Lee Tae-min and Yu Yeon-hwa's faces contorted in shock.
...Their move had been read.
The enemy had seen through their plan to join forces with the Frostblade Tribe.
Instead, they had caught them off guard and neutralized their hidden card.
They had been completely blindsided.
And yet, all of this...
'As expected, they're making this move.'
...was exactly as Jinhyuk had predicted.
* * *
The landscape of the lake had completely changed.
The lake, now scarred with deep craters, bore witness to just how merciless the recent bombardment had been.
'With this, it's checkmate.'
Watching the thick smoke rise, Ophelia wore a satisfied smile.
The area had been completely devastated.
No living creature could possibly survive such a bombardment.
That was how perfectly prepared the attack had been.
That was how flawlessly they had caught them off guard.
However...
"T-This can't be...! There are none. Not a single one... not a single one can be seen."
One of the Demonic Humans rummaging through the debris gasped in horror.
It was only natural.
There wasn't a single trace of the trolls, who should have been burnt to cinders.
"What nonsense is that? This is clearly the stronghold of those Frostblade bastards. Stop talking garbage and search thoroughly right now! Immediately!"
Ophelia's voice grew sharp.
"It's the same over here!"
"Here too!"
"Damn it, it's completely empty."
No matter how powerful the firepower was, it was impossible for even the fragments of their corpses to have completely evaporated.
But no matter how much they denied it, reality remained unchanged.
The Frostblade Tribe was not here.
And that meant only one thing.
'Could it be... it was empty from the very beginning?'
Indeed.
There was no other way to explain this phenomenon unless they had anticipated the surprise attack.
After the initial shock, which felt like a blow to the head with a hammer, Ophelia's face flushed red.
She found it unbearably humiliating that she had been outmaneuvered in a battle of wits by mere humans.
Grit!
The sound of her fangs grinding together echoed exceptionally loud.
"In that case, it means there are those who are waiting for us to exhaust our strength by pouring our mana into an empty space."
To her self-muttered words...
"Yes. We have been waiting for that exact moment."
someone replied.
[The 3-Star Barrier 'Dimensional Severance' is deactivated.]
A crack appeared in the empty air.
The scenery shattered into pieces.
And then...
Step.
The one who revealed herself with light footsteps was the Saintess clad in white armor.
It was Teresa.
Behind her, numerous holy knights, their entire bodies encased in armor and shields, stood in formation.
All of them were players of the 'Sion Guild' who had completed their class advancements to Priests or Holy Knights.
"Everything is exactly as Jinhyuk said."
From deliberately exposing Lee Tae-min's drones to alert Michael,
to making the enemy realize the ice trolls' betrayal through that action—
it had all been hinted at by Jinhyuk.
'As expected, there is no player who can surpass Jinhyuk.'
Honestly, it was enough to give her goosebumps.
Because he had designed every detail and considered all variables to bring about this exact situation.
He was on a completely different level compared to those large guilds that boasted of being the strongest in the world while holding their noses high.
That was why Teresa became even more certain through this incident.
If there was anyone she should trust and follow, it was only one person.
Shring!
Clang!
The Demonic Humans drew their weapons in unison.
"Filthy paladins...!"
"Damn it! We're completely surrounded!"
"Lady Ophelia! Give us orders, quickly!"
The surroundings instantly fell into chaos.
The formation they had gathered in to maximize their mana had now turned into a blunder that made it easy for the Sion Guild to surround them.
[Teresa activates her unique ability, 'Blessing of the Stars'!]
Whoosh!
A dazzling radiance flared up along her sword.
"If you throw down your weapons and surrender now, we will spare your lives."
With more than half of their mana depleted, Ophelia and the Demonic Humans had no means to turn the tables.
"It certainly seems we are at a disadvantage this time."
Ophelia let out a soft sigh.
They needed time to recover their mana, but the enemy wouldn't give them that luxury.
In other words, this battle was as good as over.
Now, they had no choice but to retreat and focus on minimizing their losses.
"I will not allow you to escape."
Teresa's blade blazed even more intensely.
"We'll see. Can someone of your level really catch me?"
"We'll have to find out."
"Try it all you want if you're so eager. But before we start playing tag, let me tell you one thing."
Ophelia, who was about to turn around, paused.
At the same time, the corners of her mouth twisted subtly.
"Lord Michael also foresaw that a situation like this could happen."
This was not the whining or desperate struggle of a loser.
Because at this very moment,
the sky began to dye itself in a dark hue.
* * *
[Weather Modification is activated on the 7th Floor.]
Along with a status window dyed in red, the clear sky warped into darkness.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
A fierce blizzard severely restricted their vision.
Naturally, the drones that had been monitoring everything from the air were rendered useless.
"Hyung!"
Lee Tae-min shouted urgently.
He likely wanted to convey that it was no longer possible to track the enemy's approach.
Of course, Jinhyuk was also feeling the rapidly changing situation with his entire body.
'So, this is how they're playing it.'
Jinhyuk licked his lower lip.
As soon as they landed a blow through Teresa, an even greater retaliation returned immediately.
Exercising the power to change the weather of an entire floor meant they had interfered with the Tower's system by consuming an astronomical amount of Coins.
'I don't even have a clue how many high-grade material items they used.'
He knew that high-ranking families were wealthy, but at this point, throwing money around like this was on a completely different level.
"Since the drones' radius was about 15 kilometers, the enemy will be here in ten minutes at the earliest."
"It won't take ten minutes."
Something caught Jinhyuk's senses.
Multiple mana reactions were approaching at a speed far faster than running.
They were bound to arrive here much faster than Lee Tae-min anticipated.
There was no time to prepare.
Three minutes... and then one minute.
The rapidly vanishing time overlapped with the swaying branches of the trees.
"They're here!"
Jinhyuk gripped his dagger.
At that moment,
"Groooar!"
"Howl!"
the howling of beasts echoed from all directions.
Dire Wolves.
And they weren't wild, but domesticated ones.
Wolves with gray manes and massive bodies reaching three meters in size revealed their imposing presence.
Scanning them with 'Gluttony's Eye' revealed that their individual levels exceeded 40.
However, what was more troublesome than the Dire Wolves were the Demonic Humans riding on their backs.
To be precise, the one leading the Demonic Humans was none other than Lancelot, who was in charge of the Round Table.
"It has been quite a while since we last met, not since the mental ward. I will make sure to finish what I couldn't in the arena this time."
"You failed even when you had me locked up in a prison, so how exactly do you plan to finish me off now?"
Was it something like, 'I let my guard down back then, but this time is different!'?
Seriously, what is he, a middle schooler with eighth-grader syndrome?
I don't get why he didn't try his best back then, only to make such a fuss and try so hard now.
At this point, I'm starting to suspect that his passive skill is 'letting his guard down'.
"Your snark is as consistent as ever. It's almost at the level of a talent."
"My only strength is keeping my concept consistent."
That was why he chose streaming as his calling.
Otherwise, he would have looked for another job long ago.
As Jinhyuk spoke, he subtly shifted his center of gravity backward.
Seeing this, Lee Tae-min and Yu Yeon-hwa also began to take slow steps backward, as if they had been waiting for this cue.
"If you're relying on the players waiting in the rear, it's useless. We have already identified that base as well."
Lancelot—no, Hosenbelt—spoke.
"What?"
"No way..."
Lee Tae-min and Yu Yeon-hwa's pupils shook violently in shock.
The final trump card they had prepared.
It was none other than the ambush they had set up about 500 meters away from here.
Not only were the players of the Dangun Guild there, but it was also packed with magic turrets, Claymores, and landmines that Lee Tae-min had poured all his mana into creating.
They had believed they could easily turn the tide of battle if they lured the enemy in perfectly and concentrated their firepower, but...
even that strategy had been seen through.
"...How thorough. Did that high-ranking bastard from the Decasus Family come up with this too?"
"You could say that."
"...Well, then. He's definitely someone I never want to face again."
Jinhyuk swallowed hard.
But it was only for a brief moment.
Nod.
The moment Jinhyuk exchanged glances with Lee Tae-min and Yu Yeon-hwa, he turned around and chose to flee.
"Didn't I tell you? We've already dealt with all the players over there."
On top of that, because the effects of the Weather Modification were already subsiding, the option of hiding in the blizzard was also out of the question.
However...
"I know that too."
Jinhyuk added his final words in a flat, emotionless voice.
* * *
'Fleeing from Dire Wolves. How foolish...'
Hosenbelt, who had sneered, soon tilted his head slightly in confusion.
The direction they were fleeing was different.
They weren't heading toward the place where they had set the trap, but were luring him in a completely different direction.
'Is there another trap?'
The thought crossed his mind for a moment, but the possibility was slim.
Since the Dangun Guild had been neutralized, there were no cards left in their hands.
'Ophelia would buy time against the Saintess, and even if the ice trolls showed up, they could easily be handled by either himself or Bertion, who would join him after wiping out the Dangun Guild.'
No matter how much he thought about it, there were no variables left.
"Pursue them."
"Yes, sir!"
As soon as the command was given, the Dire Wolves kicked off the ground.
How long had they run like that?
The forest ended, and a vast, snow-covered plain appeared.
Just a little further, and they would be able to choke the life out of the three fleeing figures whose backs were completely exposed.
They were almost there.
Just one more step.
But then...
the moment he saw what appeared beyond the hill,
"W-What on earth... how..."
even Hosenbelt, who never lost his composure under any circumstances, could not help but be utterly shocked.