Chapter 22: The Enemy Within
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 22: The Enemy Within
"This can't be."
By the time Song Cheon-hwa and the other players rushed toward the source of the scream, the worst-case scenario had already unfolded.
"...We're too late."
The healer, who was examining the four people collapsed on the ground, shook her head.
Clean wounds on the back of their heads.
They had undoubtedly been ambushed from behind and killed instantly.
However, a far greater problem than the deaths of these four was what they had been guarding.
Wroooooom!
A black sphere floated at the entrance of the ruins.
Someone...
...had awakened the Guardian.
['Guardian of the Ruins' gazes upon the intruders.]
[Time Remaining: 09:59]
The 'Guardian' was the entity guarding the entrance of the ruins.
While they possessed power equivalent to a boss monster of a high-grade dungeon, they had a trait where they only awakened when provoked.
Hence, their nickname: 'Sleeping Bomb'.
It meant a bomb that posed no danger as long as it was left alone.
"Which dumbass touched this?!"
"What's the point of arguing about that now? It's already starting to wake up!"
Indeed. It was already too late.
Only ten minutes remained.
If they didn't leave the ruins within that time...
The Guardian would fully awaken.
"H-Hyung!"
"I know. I know!"
Song Cheon-hwa bit his lip hard.
They couldn't fight the Guardian.
That would be tantamount to suicide.
'At least half... no, maybe even more of us will die.'
In essence, they would have to give up on the raid.
It would be impossible to reach the boss after losing half their forces.
But...
'End it before we even properly begin?'
And for such an absurd reason as awakening the Guardian?
Demotion wasn't the only issue.
He could be kicked out of the guild entirely.
'Do they have any idea how hard I worked to climb to the position of raid leader...!'
Grit.
His teeth dug into his lip.
He couldn't let it end like this.
Absolutely not.
As if making up his mind, Song Cheon-hwa barked an order.
"Let the Guardian wake up. We're pushing forward."
At his decision to proceed, murmurs broke out from all sides.
"Hyung, are you serious?"
"You need to think this through. Seriously. If things go wrong, we could all die."
Although one team of porters had entered, three other teams were still waiting outside.
Furthermore, another guild scheduled to join as reinforcements had not yet arrived at the ruins.
Continuing meant abandoning more than 20% of their total forces.
"Stop whining and follow me. If anyone's taking responsibility, it'll be me," Song Cheon-hwa flatly dismissed the objections. "Besides... even without the reinforcements, as long as we have Teresa, we have a solid chance of winning."
Yes.
This was his trump card.
Song Cheon-hwa glanced sideways.
The blonde Saintess.
When it came to fighting undead-type monsters, Teresa was considered the best in the world.
With her...
It was possible.
Of course it was.
* * *
It was several tens of minutes later when the news finally reached the porters.
"T-this isn't what we agreed on! The Guardian has awakened, and we can't leave the ruins?"
"What the hell is this?! Are you telling us to tag along with the raid team?"
"Damn it! If I knew it was going to be this dangerous, I wouldn't have come in the first place!"
The porters raised their voices in protest.
However, the response they received was cold.
"Someone assassinated the guards watching over the Guardian, and by the time we arrived, it had already been awakened."
Assassination, huh...
Jinhyuk, who had been keeping quiet, perked up his ears.
'That means the culprit is among the people here...'
In this day and age, murder wasn't that big of a deal.
But the interesting part was the motive.
It wasn't to gain some sort of profit.
Trapping people inside the ruins so they couldn't leave...
How amusing.
He could roughly guess what the culprit was after.
And even their identity.
Perhaps, thanks to the Guardian waking up, he could manipulate the situation even more flexibly.
Right then.
Jinhyuk suddenly turned his head.
And a beat later.
"Monsters from the flank! Mid-sized... and there are a lot of them!" a player from the scouting unit screamed.
"P-prepare for battle!"
The veins in Song Cheon-hwa's neck bulged.
Because it was an ambush before they could properly organize themselves, their response was slow.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The bushes swayed left and right along with a ground-shaking rumble.
They were coming.
And very fast.
"Tankers, to the front!"
"Porters, fall back immediately! Get out of the way and fall back!"
Crash!
Trees collapsed.
The bushes parted, revealing...
"Groooar!"
"Graaa!"
Dullahans standing over 2.5 meters tall.
Twelve of them in total.
Every single one of them was armed with maces, axes, and the like.
"Ugh..."
"D-Dullahans?!"
A total of thirteen types of monsters appeared at the entrance of the ruins.
Among them, Dullahans were one of the most troublesome to deal with.
Their overwhelming presence made the fine hairs all over everyone's bodies stand on end.
They were apex predators, fundamentally different from mere ghouls or skeletons.
With tough skin, speed, and brute strength, Dullahans were incredibly tricky monsters to handle.
"Support classes, focus all your buffs on the tankers! Damage dealers, gather as much mana as possible and time your attacks!"
Song Cheon-hwa commanded the raid team.
[Song Cheon-hwa activates Lv3 'Iron Shield'!]
[Go Yun-deok activates Lv2 'Wedge Formation'!]
[Lee Yun-mi activates Lv2 'Warrior's Song'!]
Hummmmm!
Various skills and buffs stacked.
And at that moment.
"Graaa!"
Boom!
A Dullahan's mace slammed down onto a shield.
* * *
Jinhyuk watched the battle unfold from a short distance behind.
'The guild-level phalanx is definitely solid.'
It was obvious they had practiced working together.
They didn't yield even an inch against the Dullahans.
The problem lay with the solo players who didn't belong to the guild.
Since they usually operated alone, they weren't accustomed to this kind of group combat.
Consequently, casualties began to emerge.
Crunch!
The sickening sound of bones shattering and flesh being crushed echoed.
"Aaargh!"
A man whose shoulder was completely pulverized collapsed, spitting up blood.
"These bastards are ridiculously fast!"
"H-Healer! Is there a healer anywhere?!"
"Send some tankers to our side too! We can't hold them off... At this rate, we're all going to die!"
It was absolute pandemonium.
With their makeshift organization, they couldn't handle the Dullahans.
At least, that was the reality for the solo players.
Yet, despite their desperate pleas for help, Song Cheon-hwa turned a blind eye to those seeking aid.
Casualties were inevitable. That was only natural.
In fact, this was actually better for him.
The corners of Song Cheon-hwa's mouth twitched into a subtle smirk.
'To create a dramatic scene, the sacrifice of these extras is essential.'
Actually, this raid had another purpose besides clearing the ruins.
It was to secure permanent subscribers.
Due to the rule where views were counted only once per subscriber per day, the battle for subscribers among players was currently unimaginably fierce.
It meant that getting even 10,000 views on an average video was no easy feat.
'In the end, to drive subscribers wild, you have to give them raw, visceral stimulation.'
Cruelty and sensationalism.
Combine those with a dramatic situation, and he could create the ultimate video.
'Now that enough casualties have piled up, shall I make my move?'
Song Cheon-hwa nodded to his side.
"Dong-yeong!"
"Yes, Hyung!"
The man who had been casting immediately unleashed his magic.
Crackle!
The air rapidly cooled.
A pure white sphere formed in his palm.
It was the ice magic, 'Ice Orb'.
Mana surged from the ice mass, which was condensed to its absolute limit.
At that exact moment.
Whoosh!
A freezing storm swept through the Dullahans.
"Graaa!"
"Ugh..."
The Dullahans' movements slowed down noticeably.
Frost clung to the arms holding their weapons.
Their fast-moving legs froze in place.
"Now! Everyone, scatter!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Song Cheon-hwa and the other tankers simultaneously widened their gaps to the left and right.
The center was wide open.
Dash!
Leap!
The waiting players kicked off the ground.
They were the main damage dealers of the Balhae Guild's 1st Raid Team, wielding swords and spears.
Slash! Squish!
Blades targeted vital spots.
To damage dealers specialized in chaotic brawls, the slowed Dullahans were easy prey.
Thud! Thud!
The Dullahans collapsed one by one.
"The footage came out great, Hyung. I think this will get at least three million views."
The Balhae Guild's video editor gave a thumbs-up.
'Three million...!'
The corners of Song Cheon-hwa's mouth curled up to his ears.
He felt the effort of his blood-sweating preparation for this direction had paid off.
Indeed, the viewers would be drooling.
He had given them a taste of that sweet, addictive rush.
'The solo guys must have been almost wiped out.'
The guilds had blocked eight of them, but the remaining four had bypassed the tankers and headed to the rear.
The result?
He didn't even need to check to know.
Those who tried to fight back would have already turned into corpses.
At best, only the fast-footed ones would have survived.
* * *
Was this what it felt like to see one's life flash before their eyes?
Twenty-five-year-old Kim So-mi, an information-type ability user, gave up on life as she watched the axe swing toward her.
She no longer had the strength to run.
Nor did she have the mana to move a single finger to defend herself.
'I should have just... lived within my means.'
She was merely one of the countless people who had entered seeking a fortune.
Though this wasn't the ending she wanted.
She squeezed her eyes shut and awaited her end.
Hoping it would be over as quickly as possible.
But...
"...?"
She felt no pain.
It was strange.
She had been certain it would be excruciatingly painful.
Unable to contain her curiosity, she peeked open her eyes.
"Gasp?!"
An unbelievable sight was unfolding before her.
Screeech!
The axe had stopped.
The muscles in the Dullahan's arms bulged as if they were about to burst, yet they couldn't push past the man standing in front of her.
'...He's holding it back?'
No, he was blocking it effortlessly.
With just a single dagger.
Judging by his equipment, he was definitely a melee damage dealer...
Yet why did he look so much larger than a tanker holding a shield?
It was simply astonishing.
Astonishing and wondrous.
However, the awe she felt quickly turned to fear at the sight that followed.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted from the man's left hand.
It wasn't a small spark, but a blinding, eye-searing Calamity Fire.
"H-He can even use magic..."
It was impossible.
All-rounder players were extremely rare.
Even then, they had discrepancies between their abilities.
It meant they always had a weakness somewhere.
However, she had never heard of someone whose every stat was this powerful.
Just what level was he...
'I can't even begin to estimate.'
Roar!
The flames swallowed the Dullahan's head.
The disgusting stench of burning, rotten meat assaulted her nose.
"Graaaaa!"
Thud!
The Dullahan's body, now reduced to charcoal, collapsed.
That made four.
Jinhyuk stared at the fallen Dullahan for a moment.
Since he had to maintain his Level 1 status, he hadn't delivered the killing blow, but it was practically as good as dead.
'They can finish it off themselves.'
Jinhyuk brushed the soot off his hands.
Then, he smacked his lips, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.
How should he put it?
It felt like the match had ended before he could even warm up.
It was inevitable, as the Dullahans' level was far lower than expected.
Instead of tricky attacks, they relied on simple patterns driven purely by instinct.
They were slightly fast and possessed great physical strength, but that was all.
In fact, it had taken him less than three minutes to deal with all four.
'Why does this feel so much easier than when I did it in the past?'
Back then, it had taken him over ten minutes to defeat four Dullahans.
Cutting that down by seven minutes was absurd, even to him.
It seemed he had become far too overpowered after eleven years of being a veteran.
But right then.
"You... how on earth did you..."
An entirely unexpected voice came from behind him.