Kuooh— Total Annihilation
A desolate wasteland where only a stark wind blew. Just moments ago, this land had evoked the horrors of hell itself, but now nothing remained.
Aside from the craters pockmarking the ground everywhere, the battlefield was so thoroughly cleaned that no one could even guess what had transpired here.
Taejeong watched the scene with detached eyes before finally descending from his mech.
At that instant, countless gazes hit the back of his head like slaps.
Turning around, he saw Lee Tae-ho and a throng of hunters who had gathered unnoticed.
"Looks like it's all wrapped up, right?"
Taejeong scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin.
Yet the hunters couldn't muster a word in response. Their faces were frozen in stunned silence, as if time itself had stopped.
"Mr. Lee? Manager Lee?"
Feeling the awkwardness, he called out to Lee Tae-ho.
The man jolted awake as if from a deep sleep, blurting out an instinctive reply.
"Yes? Oh, yes."
"What happened here? Where'd everyone else go...?"
"Ah, they marched out. But... how did you even get in here...?"
"I just stopped by to watch, and somehow ended up all the way here. Anyway, don't we need maintenance now? Are these the only people left?"
"There should be a few defense troops at the main gate."
"Hmm. So what should I do now?"
"Well... let's head inside the tower first."
Lee Tae-ho issued orders for maintenance to the remaining officers as he spoke.
As they descended, the unit commander who had desperately defended the gate looked up at Lee Tae-ho, wondering what was going on.
Lee Tae-ho pointed outside and announced the end of the crisis.
"It's over."
"Pardon?"
"Situation terminated."
"You mean you held off all those troops?"
"Held off? We obliterated them completely."
"What...?"
"Anyway, that's the situation. I'll fill you in later. For now, handle maintenance."
Leaving the bewildered commander behind, Lee Tae-ho and Taejeong entered the control tower.
"Have a seat."
"Sure."
The moment Taejeong sat, Lee Tae-ho dove into his questions.
"What the hell was that earlier? That machine-looking thing."
"It's called a mech—a type of skill."
"So that massive hunk of metal was a skill?"
"Yeah. I think I mentioned it once before."
"No way. I figured you just used guns and mechanical gear. Never dreamed it was something like a robot."
"Did I? Oh, right—back then, I didn't have that skill yet."
"More importantly, weren't you around level 300? How'd you unleash that insane firepower all by yourself...? I was shocked—no, awestruck."
Lee Tae-ho still hadn't shaken off the impact of what he'd witnessed.
It had been that staggering.
"I passed 300 ages ago. Hit 400 recently."
"I see. Still astonishing. Even at 400, that firepower... Hidden classes really are something else. I've had some training on them, but I never imagined this level of potential. You might even outdo top firepower Hiddens like telekinetics or archers."
Taejeong waved off the excessive praise.
"Aw, you're too kind. I'm just..."
"Too kind? If the guild master or commander saw that, they'd be floored. Sure, in regular fights maybe, but dominating that vast area solo? Even they couldn't pull it off easily. Anyway, thank you for coming. You saved the castle. Our assault force was already struggling with the main base—if we'd lost here too, it would've been game over."
"Glad I could help. So what's next?"
"The key is holding the castle. Even if the eastern assault fails, as long as this place stands, we'll get the territory war rewards and buffs. Oh, right—did you handle that thing in the southwest sector too?"
At the mention of the southwest, Taejeong flinched and met his gaze.
There was only one "thing" that could mean.
"You mean the castle...?"
"Yes."
"It just kinda happened. Hope that didn't cause trouble?"
Taejeong asked cautiously, but Lee Tae-ho waved his hands emphatically, as if it were absurd.
"Trouble? No way. We climbed into the top 60 because of it. The east is struggling just to take the main base—normally, even after that, you'd need to push at least five more mid-sized castles to settle in the top 50. But now, thanks to you, taking the main one gets us there. You did something huge. Well played."
Meanwhile, the Smith Alliance, which had marched on Jenix only to face total annihilation...
"What the hell happened? We were on the verge of victory—how'd it turn into this?"
Jo Han-cheol, the third captain of Smith Guild who had taken responsibility for the siege, wasn't just angry—he was utterly baffled.
Just 30 minutes ago, victory reports had flooded in annoyingly.
To his eyes, the castle had looked precarious, ripe for the taking.
Then a massive explosion flipped everything in an instant.
Not just flipped—reversed beyond reversal.
Not a single troop that marched out had returned alive.
"Looks like they were hiding their full strength."
His adjutant, who had been watching his mood, spoke up.
Jo Han-cheol shot back incredulously.
"What full strength? How do you hide enough to wipe out that many in so little time?"
"The respawn point comms said something about an armored unit."
"Armored unit?"
"Golem-sized things made of steel or something—they used magic, apparently."
"What?"
"Dunno. My guess? Some secret weapon they kept hidden."
"Secret weapon? Their main force is getting hammered in the east—think they'd leave that much power behind for an assault? Does that make sense to you? And even if, our guys aren't pushovers. How'd they get crushed so helplessly? In seconds?"
"So what's the plan now? The main base is waiting for word."
"Ugh, damn it. Should've gone myself... How many troops left?"
"With rear support, about 2,000."
"2,000 with reinforcements. Pathetic. Gather everyone we've got."
"You're not thinking of attacking again...?"
"Why not? If I retreat now, I'll be a laughingstock. Doesn't matter for our guild, but I can't take the heat from the alliance. We have to take it, no matter what."
"But the enemy's strength isn't clear yet—risk of another wipe."
"Don't worry. This time, I'll lead support myself."
"Pardon? You personally...? Then...?"
"Yeah. Cooldown's long, so I avoided it, but... didn't expect to use it here."
* * *
Southwest sector, White Line outskirts.
A force emerged over the horizon—hundreds, maybe a thousand strong.
A massive troop movement, rare in this peaceful White Line.
"Hey, we're almost there—any scout reports?"
"They went ages ago. News if something's up."
"Not dead already?"
The leaders chatting were from Plant Guild and two subordinates, racing nonstop from the F-zone respawn.
Guilds struck by sudden lightning—unlike others, they'd banded together to uncover what hit them.
It had passed too fast to see, leaving them uneasy about lingering.
"Oh, someone's coming. Our scouts."
Kim Yong-tae of Plant Guild spotted them first.
Moments later, the two hunters knelt before them.
"Report? Enemy numbers?"
One spoke up at Kim Yong-tae's question.
"Looks empty. No signs of life."
"What? Empty castle? You sure? Got inside?"
"Couldn't enter, but we got within 50 meters."
"So no defenders at all?"
"Correct."
Kim Yong-tae's face lit up at the report.
Kim Mu-yeol of Cheonhwa clapped his shoulder smugly.
"See? Good call coming. Suspicious, right? Who hits multiple small castles with zero gain in a quiet spot like this for years?"
"Still, we haven't checked inside."
"Let's go see."
Soon after the scouts, they reached Plant's former castle.
As reported, no signs of life.
"Anything?"
"Nah, gate's smashed—no guards."
"Then let's move."
Bracing for ambushes, they advanced slowly, fully armed.
As expected, not a soul—or even an ant—inside.
"Seriously empty?"
"Then what hit us?"
"Check the control tower first—who took it."
Attackers meant occupiers.
Problem: collapsed entrance.
"Hey, get guys to clear these rocks."
At Kim Yong-tae's order, hunters started shifting debris.
Kim Mu-yeol checked the time and spoke.
"Look, we found your castle. Leave minimal troops and head to mine."
Kim Yong-tae blinked, baffled.
"We gotta hold here. Why go there?"
"What?"
"Help you, then lose this again? Our loss. You won't help back."
"But we came together—"
"Don't care. I'm glued here. Handle yours."
Kim Mu-yeol was speechless at the sheer selfishness.
What kind of idiots were these?
Neighbor lord Lee Jin-yong tsked and shook his head.
"Knew it'd be like this. He's always been a prick. Let's go—arguing's a waste."
"Screw you—live fat alone."
Convinced by Lee Jin-yong, all but Plant troops marched out.
Kim Yong-tae's face twisted slyly as he watched.
"Their castles better have something good."
A hunter approached amid his curses.
"Entrance cleared."
"Good. Let's see who dared take my castle."
He strode in arrogantly, like a conqueror.
Boom!
An explosion rang out from somewhere.
Before he could process it—
Boom! Boom! Kwaboom! Boom! Boom!
Deafening blasts chained off.
"What the—"
He tried to speak amid the chaos, but couldn't.
Hunters flew like ragdolls before his eyes.
Dozens of dirt pillars erupted like dominoes, hurling troops skyward.
What madness was this?
In his daze, he stepped forward instinctively.
Boom!
The impact launched him high.
'What the—?'
Then a familiar voice drilled into his ear.
"What? You died again? I told you not to go."