Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: ACT.33 L Team (2)
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*BOOOOM!!*
The tide of battle had turned once again.
Five players who called themselves the L Team had joined the fray.
Their presence alone was enough for Paradise, whose demonoids had been wiped out by the Army of Darkness, to signal a counterattack.
*FWOOSH!*
In an instant, the battlefield turned into a fiery hell.
An explosion alone wouldn't cause flames to surge this high.
It was a level of firepower impossible without having spread flammable substances like oil beforehand.
“Playing with fire in front of me?”
Lee Min-hwa swept her arm.
Following her arm's movement, the flames moved smoothly, as if dancing.
The flames that had filled the area vanished in an instant, instead becoming Lee Min-hwa's power, forming a small sun above her head.
“Thanks to you, cleaning up the demonoids should be easy.”
Just then, Kang Dae-ho had also fallen, allowing the moonlight to shine down again, weakening the demonoids.
Lee Min-hwa smiled lightly.
The demonoids in the direction of her smile instinctively sensed the danger and charged to attack first, but they were helpless once Seong Woo-hyeon and Kim Hyo-jong stepped in.
“Kyaaaaah!!”
Two-thirds of the demonoids had already been taken down by the Army of Darkness anyway.
Lee Min-hwa's attack cleanly incinerated the remaining ones.
Only the arch-demonoids could withstand Lee Min-hwa's flames; ordinary demonoids wouldn't stand a chance.
And even those arch-demonoids had been completely cut down by Alpha and Hwang Chan-jin.
The problem was the other side.
The ones watching, observing how our side fought.
‘The L Team.’
I'd never heard the name before.
It wasn't just the team's name.
Their individual appearances or real names.
All sorts of things that could be considered basic information were completely new to me.
‘They weren't in the original story.’
Still, I could make a rough guess.
That they were from Pentagon Eagle.
If such conspicuous individuals had been in Korea from the start, rumors would have spread one way or another.
And things must be chaotic on the US mainland too.
It would have been impossible for them to ignore that and come to Korea so early.
“Is this related to Jacob's death?”
If I thought about it that way, it's been about two days since they came to Korea as support.
As expected, that creates a point that doesn't make sense.
[They certainly look Western.]
“Stop with the bad jokes and investigate something for me.”
[What?]
“There's no way they could have gotten to Korea from the US mainland this quickly.”
They can't use airplanes.
Because it's impossible to break through the skies of the six oceans, which are a paradise for flying-type monsters.
Using the sea route, like when the Jakgol brothers came, is a possibility.
The problem with that, too, is that they can't take a large ship.
To reach Korea from the US coast in such a short time on a small boat and then travel all the way to Seoul?
It's not possible.
[It's not particularly strange.]
“Not strange?”
[I can't say any more than this.]
Besial popped into his subspace.
Given the flow of events, I had no choice but to make him an administrator again, but because of that, losing proper control over Besial was a huge problem.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and watched the direction from which the players had poured out.
If we succeeded in cornering the Guide of the Abyss, the players waiting inside the residence were supposed to join the battle and press Paradise to secure a decisive victory.
Now, those who had come out were in a state of confusion, not knowing what to do.
If this continued, they might get caught up in the attacks of those called the L Team and die.
I had to prevent that, at least.
“Have everyone retreat! Right now!!”
When I shouted with all my might, Seong Woo-hyeon and Lee Min-hwa, though flustered, gave the order.
They must have known that retreating was the right call in this situation, even without me giving a reason.
“What nonsense is this! With Kang Dae-ho and the demonoids down, now is the perfect chance to wipe out Paradise!”
…Although there was someone who didn't think so.
Kim Hyo-jong, who had approached at some point, irritably charged toward Kang Dae-ho.
A swift and precise attack, like a hawk targeting its prey.
Kim Hyo-jong's sword drew a silver arc, aiming to kill the dazed Kang Dae-ho, whose Abyss Armor had been dispelled, but…
*BOOOOM!*
Just like when the L Team first appeared, numerous explosions erupted.
“Keuk!?”
It was a situation where he could have easily died, but as expected of a guild master, he retreated with only minor injuries.
This confirmed it.
I glared at the white-haired young man who had approached Kang Dae-ho's side.
These explosions were related to that man's ability.
[Activating skill, 'Extreme Eye'.]
[Trait, 'Mysticism' responds.]
[There is no rank difference.]
[Failed to ascertain the target's information.]
‘Extreme Eye doesn't work?’
Extreme Eye wasn't omnipotent.
Some traits had effects that prevented one's information from being exposed.
For example, the one just named, 'Mysticism'.
Clever. He knew well that to gain an advantage among the 'Progressors', it was important not to expose information about what powers you have.
“L-Let go of me!!”
I flinched at the familiar voice and turned my head.
At some point, a macho man with a huge build had grabbed Min Dan-ah, who was fleeing into the residence, as if kidnapping her.
I had been keeping a close watch on their movements.
And yet, I missed it.
There was no way someone with a higher agility stat than me existed at this point. Which meant…
‘Teleportation!’
That would make sense.
At least in terms of how they escaped Busan, which was heavily monitored by Jeon Do-jin, and arrived here in an instant.
Min Dan-ah's training over the past while must have paid off, as she skillfully kept slipping away even when caught.
I wanted to help, but the other four were monitoring my every move.
The moment I moved, all of them would surely move as well.
“You're doing this even though you know what will happen if Paradise isn't eliminated?”
When I subtly revealed that I knew they were Progressors, there was a slight change in the L Team's expressions.
Except for one person.
“Kim Se-hyeon. Is that right?”
The white-haired young man spoke for the first time.
His voice was as androgynous as his appearance.
“Kim Se-hyeon? Who's that?”
When I feigned ignorance with a straight face, he simply closed his mouth.
With no change in his expression, it was hard to tell what he was thinking.
What should I do?
Since I couldn't check their information, I didn't know exactly what kind of powers they had.
I could make plausible guesses, but even a slight difference could completely change how I should fight them, so I needed to be cautious.
*Swish!*
Just then, someone rushed past me, leaving a faint afterimage.
A chill I felt just from him passing by.
“What are you just standing around thinking for!”
Hwang Chan-jin swung his sword at the teleporter.
The teleporter skillfully teleported to dodge, but his face stiffened slightly, as if he'd had a close shave.
As expected, it was difficult for Min Dan-ah to stop a Progressor; she had already been caught by the teleporter and moved over to the L Team's side.
To think he was holding a grown woman with one arm so casually.
His arm was as thick as Min Dan-ah's waist.
“We have to save Min Dan-ah first. These guys are next.”
Hwang Chan-jin was right.
Because their real reason for kidnapping Min Dan-ah must be something else.
‘Min Ji-ah.’
They intended to use Min Dan-ah to lure Min Ji-ah back to Paradise.
To awaken Min Ji-ah as the Guide of Madness, just like in the original story.
Seeing them antagonize our side and help Paradise, that was the only conclusion I could reach.
The teleporter growled, shoving his face close to Min Dan-ah's.
“Where did your sister go?”
“You think I'm going to tell you!?”
Min Dan-ah struggled bravely, not showing any fear.
She was originally supposed to go with her, but Min Ji-ah had persuaded her to stay behind, saying it might be dangerous. To think it would lead to this.
“Let Min Dan-ah go.”
“I can't do that. We're already cutting you a lot of slack by not touching the other players.”
“Bullshit. You're just avoiding blatant killing because you're wary of the angels.”
“You could put it that way.”
Kidnapping Min Dan-ah wouldn't get them a favorable reaction from the angels.
But it wasn't enough to cut off their support entirely.
Mass killing, of course, would earn them the angels' hostility.
I glanced over at the other players' situation.
There were some injured, but no fatalities. Everyone had returned to the residence, leaving only the guild masters behind.
Considering that everyone here now was at least S-rank, we weren't outmatched in terms of strength.
“L Team. We've achieved our objective. We're retreating with Kang Dae-ho and Min Dan-ah.”
“Where do you think you're going!”
I put strength into my legs and shot forward at maximum speed.
They had a teleporter.
I had to press them relentlessly to keep them from escaping!
“Kim Se-hyeon! I'll take this one!”
Hwang Chan-jin shouted boldly and rushed at the white-haired man.
I wanted to snap at him for revealing my name, but it wasn't the right situation, so I swallowed my words and drew up my darkness.
For now, constantly harassing the teleporter was the priority.
Teleportation required a period of concentration depending on the distance.
And even then, they couldn't travel too far.
Just preventing him from concentrating was enough to stop them from escaping.
“I'll help!”
“Kidnapping seems to be a hobby for every damn one of you! Don't you have any healthier hobbies!?”
And with the guild masters joining in.
It was a 5-on-5 fight.
Our side was all S-rank, and among the top-tier at that.
If we just had time, we could seize victory.
It was natural to think so, but.
“The guild masters, huh.”
“All three are S-rank. Seong Woo-hyeon wields the power of a dragon. Lee Min-hwa controls flames. Kim Hyo-jong uses swift swordplay based on speed and is quick to assess the battlefield.”
“Then I'll take Seong Woo-hyeon~ If I just stop him from transforming, he's no big deal, right?”
The problem was the five enemies.
The fact that they were all 'Progressors' and skilled ones at that meant I couldn't guarantee victory.
Just as I did when facing enemies, they would also see right through our weaknesses.
The three, excluding the white-haired man and the teleporter, went to face the guild masters, leaving a 2-on-2.
However, there was a variable here that they didn't know about.
“Let her go!”
*Fwoosh!*
A baptism of fire flew into the teleporter's blind spot as he was slowly creating distance.
The twins, Jeong Ha-yeon, and Min Ji-ah.
The ones who had briefly left for Dongmyo Station had returned.
The teleporter easily dodged Jo Min-ah's flames.
But that wasn't the end of it.
*Chwaak!*
Jeong Ha-yeon, who had been closing the distance hidden behind the flames, charged in sharply.
“Heup!”
*CLANG!*
The teleporter let out a sharp cry and caught the sword, pinning it between his knee and elbow.
No matter how hard Jeong Ha-yeon tried to pull the sword out, it wouldn't budge, wedged tightly between his solid limbs.
I couldn't help but click my tongue at the acrobatic move.
To have such agility and reaction speed with that huge frame.
[If he teleports and swings her, she'll get a concussion. Crazy.]
Seizing that opening, I instantly moved forward and swung my sword.
If I could just subdue the teleporter, the risk of Min Dan-ah being kidnapped would be gone, and the L Team would lose their means of escape.
He was already using an arm and a leg to block Jeong Ha-yeon's sword, while his other arm was restraining Min Dan-ah.
In such a state, it was an attack difficult to dodge by simply moving his body.
“Hmmph!”
The teleporter's actions were swift.
He unhesitatingly let go of Min Dan-ah and used teleportation to get away.
He didn't just dodge.
He placed Min Dan-ah in the path of my swinging sword.
*Flinch.*
As I forced my swinging sword to a halt, a few strands of Min Dan-ah's hair were cut as she stood there blankly, suddenly freed from her restraints.
If I hadn't stopped my sword, her head would have flown off.
Her face had turned pale, likely from the momentary fear of death.
“I'll take you down first.”
In that brief moment.
The teleporter, who had instantly moved behind me, swung his massive fist.
A trajectory where if I dodged, Min Dan-ah would be hit.
Given Min Dan-ah's stats, there was no way she could dodge this attack, so I too had to choose defense over evasion.
‘Clever.’
But this was his miscalculation.
A miscalculation born from not knowing the true extent of my power.
*KRAANG!!*
I moved the sword I had stopped, colliding the end of its hilt with his fist.
*Crack!*
“Kaaargh!?”
No matter how much you trained your body, you couldn't surpass metal.
I heard the sound of bones breaking in the teleporter's fist.
And what's more, what was the Black Moon Divine Sword made of?
A material whose hardness ranked in the top three of all dimensions accessible in the game.
On top of that, there was the difference in our strength stats.
“You were complacent, teleporter.”