Blackened Skies of Giant Bees
The creatures that blackened the sky were literally bees. Insects you could spot buzzing around even in the heart of the city during summer. The problem? Their bodies were nearly the size of a full-grown human.
What the hell is this?
Taejeong barely had time to register the sudden swarm before hundreds, no, thousands of them dove straight toward him. In the face of that horrifying sight, instinct took over—he activated his skills without a second thought.
Armor Suit activated.
Exoskeleton Robot Legs activated.
Defense and movement speed increased.
In the blink of an eye, he'd chained two skills. Without so much as glancing back, Taejeong bolted like his life depended on it—which it did.
What the fuck is this all about...?
As he poured everything into his escape, Taejeong started piecing things together. Han Seol-ah had vanished, and these were monsters he'd never seen before. Nothing specific came to mind, but he knew exactly what needed doing: take them out before their numbers swelled even more.
With that thought, he summoned the M60 Power Machine Gun and whipped around. A massive hornet was already right in his face, its grotesque form filling his vision. His finger squeezed the trigger, unleashing hundreds of glowing energy rounds that tore through the air.
Du-du-du-du—! Du-du-du!
The deafening roar battered his ears as the light-speed bullets swallowed the incoming swarm. But for all the fury, the results were pathetic. Not a single one landed a scratch. Their chitinous bodies gleamed like armored plate, utterly impervious.
Even after dumping a full mana clip, he hadn't made a dent. Taejeong's expression darkened rapidly.
This is bad. It doesn't even faze them.
The M60 was his go-to weapon. He'd taken down the Recall Dungeon boss with it, despite the massive level gap. If this wasn't working, these things had to be even higher level. And they weren't bosses—just regular mobs. His other weapons probably wouldn't fare any better.
Where the hell did that woman go?
Even as he ran, Taejeong scanned every direction for Han Seol-ah. Someone at her level couldn't possibly be unaware of monsters lurking here. So why had she suddenly vanished? It made no sense to him.
He even considered it might be a trap, but that didn't hold up either. If she wanted him dead, why bother saving him back at the hotel?
Whatever her deal was, he had to deal with the here and now first.
Put as much distance as possible.
There was only one way out: run like hell until the aggro dropped. That was his best play.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he summoned his boosters. Slamming the accelerator, his body rocketed forward at double speed.
Slicing through the wind along the beach, Taejeong glanced back whenever he could, gauging the gap. Luckily, he had the edge in speed—the distance was growing, bit by bit.
With some breathing room, he called out to Gerard.
"Gerard."
Yes, Master.
"You know what these things are?"
I have no data on Red Zone monsters.
"Red Zone? You saying this place is Red-grade?"
Affirmative, Master.
"Fuck, we're screwed."
Taejeong couldn't hide his despair at Gerard's words. He'd suspected as much, but Blue was one thing—Red was another. Red-grade dungeons were the highest difficulty outside of Ground Zero fields. A place he couldn't even dream of tackling. To even attempt it, you'd need to clear Blue 17 stages in sequence. For someone who'd barely dipped his toe in Blue 1, it was a 100% death sentence.
"No wonder they didn't even flinch. How strong are those bastards compared to me? Other weapons won't work either, right?"
I lack specific data on this Red Zone, but public records estimate the minimum recommended level for Red-grade at 750.
"What? 750?"
Not definitive. Red-grade has its own levels.
"Holy shit."
Taejeong pushed his speed to the limit. He was tearing along blindly when the sand ahead suddenly caved in, and something enormous erupted from below.
"What the fuck is that?"
A colossal, helmeted turtle—or crab?—thing, towering like a building, blocked his path. At least five meters tall. And it wasn't alone. They poured out of the pit in endless waves, like an ant colony unleashed, marching straight for him.
His face drained of color at the hellish scene. He scanned his options: bee swarm behind, crab horde ahead, ocean to the left, palm forest to the right.
Ocean's suicide. But the forest...
After a split-second debate, he squeezed his eyes shut and committed.
Fine. Forest it is.
He veered right into the dense palms. Sketchy as it was, better than drowning. At least he could breathe there.
His form vanished into the thicket.
Not for long.
"Argh!"
A scream echoed as Taejeong burst back out, pursued by a writhing mass of telephone-pole-thick snakes. Dozens of them, like giant imugis, slithering after him with murderous intent.
All escape routes sealed. Every direction but the sea choked with monsters. No choice left—he charged straight for the waves.
"Gerard."
Yes, Master.
"Boosters can't keep me afloat on water, can they?"
Output insufficient.
"Damn it. Any ideas? At this rate..."
There were none. Minimum level 750 monsters closing from all sides, thousands strong, each one a hulking brute. No gaps to slip through.
Screw it. All or nothing.
Skidding to a halt at the water's edge, Taejeong spun and unleashed every skill in his arsenal. Cannons materialized on both sides, thundering as hundreds of energy rounds blasted forth.
Boom! Clang—! Pa-pa-pa-pat! Pa-pa-pat!
The insane barrage engulfed the nearest snakes in fire and shrapnel. He followed with an RPG-7 and grenades, then pulled his TRG sniper amid the towering dust cloud, sighting downrange.
But his aim didn't hold. Snakes burst through the haze, endless. A 7.62mm enhanced round slammed into the lead one's head.
Useless. It scattered like water on impact. A few more shots—same story. They kept coming.
"Ah..."
A despairing groan escaped him. He'd clung to faint hope, but no miracle came. Death loomed.
"It's over... And I can't even swim."
The sea was his last out, but he was a landlubber. Then Gerard chimed in.
Master.
"What? Got a plan?"
Can't you doggy-paddle?
"What? You little shit..."
Irritation flared at Gerard's absurdity, but it faded fast. Taejeong steeled himself, staring at the sea.
Fine. Doggy-paddle it is. Die trying or die running—might as well try everything.
Resolved, he sprinted into the surf. No guarantees, but if those childhood bath-time flails stuck with him, maybe...
That hope shattered quick. Fish—legless fish no more—burst from the waves, legged and hopping toward him in a frenzy.
No, what the actual fuck...?
His face twisted in rage. Bees, crabs, snakes—he could buy that. But land-walking fish? This dungeon was rigged to say "just die already."
All hope crushed, Taejeong stared blankly at the encroaching hordes. Where had it gone wrong? He couldn't fathom Han Seol-ah's game. If this was her plan, why drag him all the way here? She could've killed him on the yacht or in the water anytime.
So why? Why make him die here?
Don't tell me she's some psycho who gets off on this shit.
He'd heard rumors: twisted hunters treating people like toys for deadly games. Back then, bullshit. Now? Matched perfectly.
"I'm the idiot. I was so careful, and then at the end..."
While he stewed in regret, the monsters closed to ten meters.
"You fucking..."
As he mustered one last roar of defiance, an unfamiliar chime rang in his ear.
Due to Psychic Linkage skill, forcibly joining the caster Telekinetic's Esper party.
What?
Before he could process the alert, a shimmering haze rippled around him. Then, something unbelievable: the thousands of monsters encircling him—all of them—floated into the air at once.
Bees, crabs, snakes. Even the bullshit fish.
As they ascended, Taejeong spotted her at the center: a woman with red hair, backlit by the sun. Han Seol-ah.
Their eyes met across the distance. She winked, and a soft voice slipped from her lips.
"Telekinetic Crush."
With her incantation, the airborne horde began to pulverize. Thousands of monsters disintegrated like they were burning away in invisible light. Utterly surreal—the perfect image of annihilation.
In an instant, the sky cleared. Where the monsters had blotted it out, only pristine blue remained.