Chapter 327: 11 Hours Before the Gate Opens (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 327: 11 Hours Before the Gate Opens (2)
The 11th basement floor of the Korean Awakeners Association.
The rankers from various guilds who had accepted Han Sang-jin's request had all gathered in one place.
'It's been a while since I've seen a lineup like this all at once.'
Jinhyuk scanned his surroundings.
Most of the hundreds of players gathered here were faces he had often seen on TV or in the Tower of Trials community.
Not only Yu Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min, but Min Jung-woo and Lee Yu-ri were also there.
On top of that, a large number of guild masters and vice-masters, who could be called the faces of their respective guilds, were in attendance.
"Hyung. It's really been a while."
"How have you been, Oppa? Did you wrap things up well in the Murim?"
Lee Tae-min and Yu Yeon-hwa approached with bright smiles.
"Yeah, thanks to you guys. What about the favor I asked?"
The Soul Stone of Longing received from Bendivia, and the Moonstone obtained through information about the Heavenly Demon.
He had entrusted the two of them with one of the conditions that absolutely had to be met to deal with Shub-Niggurath.
"Yep. Of course we finished it cleanly."
"We struggled a bit trying to do exactly as you said, Hyung, but Noona and I handled it well. It should work without any issues."
Good.
Since Tae-min, who had the Machine Lord ability, said so, there shouldn't be any problems.
With this, at least one condition was met.
It was then.
Buzz, buzz!
"Hey. Look over there. Do you see him?"
"It's Player Kang Jinhyuk."
"Wow, it really is."
"He only goes to such high-difficulty floors that I've only ever seen him in videos. I can't believe I'm seeing him in person."
Everyone's eyes focused on Jinhyuk.
If one had to name the strongest player representing South Korea...
The answer was already decided.
When Cheon Yu-seong, carrying his long sword, joined him, gasps of admiration erupted from the crowd once more.
"The Sword Saint... is here too."
"Shh! Quiet. There's a rumor that he'll cut you down without hesitation if you get on his bad side. Why else do you think his nickname 'Sword Demon' is more famous than 'Sword Saint'?"
"Look at how even the guild masters are walking on eggshells around them. The pressure they exude is insane."
It wasn't for nothing that people said the power of the Veteran Corporation led by Jinhyuk was greater than all the large guilds combined.
Just Jinhyuk and Cheon Yu-seong standing together felt like they were completely overwhelming everyone else.
"Wow. They're calling you a bloodthirsty, cold-blooded killer."
"Don't project your own thoughts onto them. They didn't go that far."
"Hmm. Is that so? Anyway, what should we have for dinner? I think I'm getting tired of combat rations. Any recommendations?"
"Damn it. Do I have to tell you what to eat too? Just go pick up some deep-sea anemone and eat it. It would be perfect if you died of food poisoning."
Jinhyuk and Cheon Yu-seong bickered as they always did.
Of course,
to the onlookers who viewed them through rose-colored glasses, their conversation was being completely reinterpreted.
- It seems everyone is calling you the Sword Saint. Just having you by my side is reassuring.
- Don't flatter me. I don't care for such cumbersome titles.
- Classic you. I heard this raid is on the ocean. I wonder if we'll have seafood for dinner?
- I hear deep-sea monsters are quite a delicacy. It wouldn't be bad to catch and eat one. With you, we could easily hunt even a boss-class monster.
While everyone was just watching them, too intimidated to strike up a conversation,
"Hello."
Someone stepped forward confidently.
A woman in her late twenties with short bobbed hair.
"I am Yoo Jin-ah, the vice-master of the Ssaulabi Guild. This is the first time I'm greeting the two of you in person."
South Korea's number two guild, 'Ssaulabi.'
Yoo Jin-ah was one of the two pillars supporting this massive organization of about a thousand members.
Unlike the guild master, Choi Jin-ho, who focused solely on hunting rather than public activities, Yoo Jin-ah was highly skilled in administration and politics.
In fact, the reason they were able to clear the 17th and 18th floors while Jinhyuk was away in the Murim was thanks to Yoo Jin-ah organically linking the large guilds to form an allied raid team.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kang Jinhyuk."
"Cheon Yu-seong."
"The association president asked me to give you two a general briefing. I will now explain how this raid will proceed."
Tring!
A holographic map appeared in front of everyone.
A total of four raid teams from South Korea would be deployed.
The goal was to enter from the north, south, east, and west of the island to eliminate the raw Ether ore in the center.
With less than 10 hours left before the gate fully opened, they had to increase their chances of success, even if it meant splitting their forces.
"The Dangun Guild will take the east, while the Balhae and Hwarang Guilds will handle the south. For the west, an allied raid team of seven mid-sized guilds is scheduled to enter."
Yoo Jin-ah continued her explanation, pointing to various locations on the map.
Numerous mana reactions were marked on the map, and the point with the largest reaction was located at the northern tip.
Considering that the size of the point represented the amount of mana, there was undoubtedly a monster at least five times stronger than those in other areas.
"I suppose the most difficult northern route is the one I'll be taking."
"Yes. It will be carried out as a joint operation between the Veteran Corporation and the Ssaulabi Guild. To be precise, we will be supporting you, Player Kang Jinhyuk."
"I understand."
Jinhyuk nodded.
"Then, we will begin the teleportation shortly. Since it's a very large-scale spell, it might cause motion sickness, so please be prepared."
As Yoo Jin-ah nodded, the other guilds sent hand signals indicating they were ready.
Crackle!
Various runic words drawn on the floor glowed brightly.
Soon after,
their vision was dyed pitch black.
* * *
The darkness receded, and his vision returned.
They had arrived on the island...
Or so they thought, but they were mistaken.
Someone screamed at the top of their lungs.
At the same time,
"Kwooooo!"
the massive maw of a fish dragon gaped open right beneath their feet.
"W-What is that?"
"Aaaack!"
The place where the raid team had arrived was not the island, but the open sea.
Hundreds of razor-sharp teeth were revealed amidst the rolling, deep blue waves.
At this rate, they would be eaten alive.
"Everyone, stay still!"
[Yoo Jin-ah activates Lv.20 'Mentra Taming'!]
Hummmmm!
Along with a bright light, the fish dragon's pupils trembled.
But it was only for a brief moment.
Snap!
The massive mouth snapped shut as if by magic.
Thanks to that, the players were spared from seeing what the inside of a fish dragon's stomach looked like.
"T-Thank you."
"We survived thanks to you."
The tanks wearing heavy armor let out sighs of relief.
If not for Yoo Jin-ah, they would have been dragged down to a watery grave by the weight of their armor.
While the raid team, which had almost been wiped out in an instant, caught their breath,
'A taming ability...'
Jinhyuk looked at Yoo Jin-ah with interest.
Taming was considered an extremely rare ability, even among unique abilities.
Seeing that she could tame a high-grade monster like a fish dragon in just a few seconds, she was undoubtedly highly skilled.
I should take this opportunity to copy that ability too.
Goguma and the spirit beasts were one thing, but the Squishy Black Crane he had recently recruited still thought of himself as some noble dragon.
"More importantly, where on earth are we?"
"Did the island sink in the meantime?"
The players, riding on the back of the dozens-of-meters-long fish dragon, looked around.
The sea fog made visibility poor.
"Ah! Over there! I see the island over there!"
Lee Tae-min, who was scouting with a drone, pointed in one direction.
About 1 kilometer away, the faint outline of their original destination, the island, was visible.
The island hadn't disappeared.
It was just quite far away.
"Why did we miss our destination by so much?"
Yoo Jin-ah pressed the magic-class players.
"It seems the teleportation coordinates were distorted. We definitely injected the mana properly and activated it, but..."
"It feels like something interfered. We don't know the exact reason either. We're sorry."
The players in charge of the teleportation bowed their heads, looking utterly baffled.
But right then,
Rumble, rumble!
The waves began to churn violently.
The players standing on the fish dragon's back stumbled heavily.
Something was coming.
From the deep depths of the ocean.
"Kang Jinhyuk!"
"I know."
Cheon Yu-seong drew his Flower-Dance Plum-Blossom Sword. Jinhyuk also pulled out Fang and the Twin Dragon Sword from his sub-space.
"Kwooooo!"
"Kyaaaa!"
In an instant, over a dozen fish dragons surged above the surface.
The fish dragon Yoo Jin-ah had tamed was no slouch in terms of size, but...
the fish dragons that had just appeared possessed even more massive bodies.
'Thirteen in total.'
The island that had appeared due to the Outbreak.
He already knew that the surrounding area was also undergoing dungeonification.
But to think named-grade monsters would be swarming right at the entrance.
'It seems they've messed with things even more than I thought.'
The culprit was likely Hastings, the High Manager pulling the strings.
Jinhyuk licked his lips.
"I-I can't tame this many all at once."
Yoo Jin-ah's face was painted with despair.
The other players also turned pale as they watched the approaching fish dragons.
Fighting while trying to balance on the back of a fish dragon was disadvantageous enough in itself, unlike fighting on solid ground.
"Tae-min."
"Yes, Hyung!"
[Lee Tae-min activates his unique ability 'Machine Lord'!]
Two streamlined drones appeared.
"I'll take seven. You can handle about six, right?"
"I'll slay twelve of them, so you just deal with one."
Cheon Yu-seong leaped high, stepping off a drone first.
The drone anticipated Cheon Yu-seong's next landing spot and flew there ahead of him.
His pride was truly out of this world.
Tap.
Tap...
Cheon Yu-seong, traversing the air with ease, swung his sword in a wide arc.
Soul-Chasing Sword Dance, First Sword.
Slash!
The sword, bolstered by sword qi, sliced through the fish dragon's scales in a single stroke.
"Kwooooo!"
The battle began in earnest as the sea was dyed red.
'Shall I warm up properly too?'
[Unique ability 'Grave of Swords' has been activated!]
A black energy shimmered along Fang.
[Unique ability 'Heavenly Demon Divine Art' has been activated!]
A crimson energy blazed along the Twin Dragon Sword.
* * *
"M-My goodness..."
Yoo Jin-ah swallowed hard.
She had already seen and heard countless times through videos how strong he was.
But.
There was an insurmountable gap between experiencing it indirectly and witnessing it with her own eyes.
He was strong.
Overwhelmingly so.
'Cheon Yu-seong, who is unilaterally crushing them, is amazing too.'
He didn't show even a shred of intimidation against a fish dragon over 20 meters long.
His domineering and straightforward swordsmanship made her heart race just by watching.
However,
even that level of mastery seemed like mere child's play compared to Jinhyuk.
'To think such beautiful swordsmanship could exist.'
Even Yoo Jin-ah, who was ignorant of swordsmanship due to focusing mainly on taming, couldn't help but feel it.
That they were in completely different leagues.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every time his two swords moved,
his body, accelerated by 'Domain of Wind' and 'Sword Demon Celestial Stepss', vanished like smoke.
A speed that didn't even require drones.
The way he repeatedly vanished in midair even gave the illusion that he was using Blink.
Landing lightly on the head of another fish dragon, Jinhyuk crossed his hands.
His sword strikes drew a crescent moon.
"Keeee!"
The fish dragon shrieked in agony.
A thick mist of blood sprayed out, turning everything red.
Yet, by the time the blood droplets splattered in all directions, Jinhyuk had already vanished from the spot.
Six... seven... ten.
The fish dragons drew their last breaths without even being able to mount a proper counterattack.
And finally,
Splash!
even the last fish dragon, which had struggled until the very end, floated to the surface.
"Once we reach the island, even more troublesome bastards will appear. When that time comes, please make sure Ssaulabi plays its part."
"Huh?... Ah, yes! Yes, of course we will."
Yoo Jin-ah, who had been staring blankly, nodded quickly.