Chapter 242: The Great Raid (4)
Chapter 242: The Great Raid (4)
Upon hearing that the demons could self-detonate within the dungeons, Park Min-woo immediately disseminated the information to other nations.
This news made other countries, which were in the middle of preparing to purge the demons inside the purple portals appearing within their territories, hesitant to enter.
However, they couldn't simply sit idly by. Most nations formed elite squads to initiate the first wave of attacks.
The United States was no exception.
Given its vast landmass, an enormous number of portals had appeared. With 103 purple portals detected across the US alone, a desperate future awaited them—if they couldn't clear them within a week, demons would come pouring out in a massive wave.
Should that become a reality, the damage would undoubtedly grow exponentially.
For now, the demons were dispersed across different portals and confined to limited spaces, making it possible to defeat them piece by piece.
The standard tactic was to have warriors with large shields lead the way, followed by mages and priests casting various protective spells, as reports indicated that demon attacks began the moment one entered a dungeon.
The American Awakeners also entered their first dungeon, centered around veterans equipped with top-tier gear.
Leading the charge was Mike Anderson, a widely known S-Rank Awakener among American warriors.
A muscular Black warrior standing over two meters tall, he carried a shield large enough to easily hide two small men and wielded a heavy axe. He had a buzzed haircut and a neatly trimmed beard; possessing immense self-esteem, he was always relaxed and brimming with confidence.
But he wasn't relaxed now.
He had reviewed all the available data on the demons. While his self-confidence was high, he was also cold and analytical enough to grasp the extent of his own abilities and the strength of his enemies.
Because of that, he knew these demons were qualitatively different from the monsters he had hunted until now. Even if he could handle them to some extent, not everyone was as strong as he was.
Readjusting his grip on his shield, Mike gave the hand signal to his subordinates that they were moving in.
Entering the portal in a state of high tension, Mike reflexively raised his shield before his vision even fully returned.
Pop! Boom! Bang!
"Ugh!"
Mike groaned at the impact vibrating through his arm as he blocked the black spheres and arrows flying toward him.
Just as the intel from Korea had warned, the demons attacked immediately from the high ground.
Following Mike as he slowly advanced, the American Awakeners formed a phalanx as best they could, moving forward under the cover of protective magic.
However, it was impossible to block every single attack. The demons were numerous, and intercepting every projectile was no easy feat.
Consequently, Awakeners began to suffer injuries one by one.
Screams rang out sporadically, mingling with the sounds of explosions.
"Aaargh!"
"My eyes! My eyes!"
Grit-ting his teeth, Mike tried his best not to waver. If he lost his temper and broke formation, the casualties would only increase. His role was defense. He had to trust the Awakeners in charge of the offense.
The demons, who had been fiercely attacking the humans, decided to engage in close quarters once the distance had closed sufficiently.
After a final volley of dark magic and arrows, the demons leaped down simultaneously, swarming Mike and the other American Awakeners.
The Awakeners felt intimidated by the demons' massive frames—topped with beastly heads—and the ominous demonic energy they exuded.
"Get it together! We can win!"
Mike roared in a voice loud enough to shake the entire battlefield, bolstering the spirits of his shrinking subordinates.
Inspired by Mike’s cry to battle, the American Awakeners withstood the demons' onslaught and began to fight back.
★ ★ ★
The American Awakeners' first assault ended in victory.
However, it wasn't without cost.
Mike, who had led from the front and fought selflessly to draw aggro during the melee, had sustained injuries to his right shoulder and left thigh.
Though he was treated with holy magic, the attacks had been infused with dark mana, meaning it would take time for him to heal completely.
The priest warned that while the wounds were closed, they would likely reopen if he moved violently or resumed combat immediately. Thus, Mike was unable to participate in the battle for the next dungeon.
Testimonies from the first raid confirmed that Mike’s presence had been absolute in holding back the demon assault.
The American team had been fairly confident, as their ranks consisted of B-Rank Awakeners and above. Yet, out of the 600 who entered the first dungeon, there were over 100 casualties.
In a large-scale battle, such numbers might seem expected. However, if casualties continued to accumulate at this rate, clearing all the dungeons within a week would be near impossible.
The situation was the same for other nations; in fact, many were suffering far worse damage than the US. This was a natural result, considering the US had a high concentration of top-tier Awakeners on average.
Though everyone had succeeded in clearing the first wave of demons, the realization of the grim road ahead dampened any sense of triumph.
Despite the victory, the atmosphere was heavy. No one could laugh or celebrate. It felt more like a defeat.
It was the same for Han Shin’s group.
Though they had achieved an overwhelming victory with the least amount of damage, they were filled with worry about how to stop the demons moving forward.
No matter how strong Han Shin and his companions were, it was clear they wouldn't be able to cope if people kept dying and getting injured while demons continued to cross over to Earth.
Even after returning home from the battle, they put their heads together to find a solution, but no clear path emerged.
They sat in the living room discussing it for a long time, but nothing came to mind.
As the fruitless hours ticked by, Han Shin realized it wasn't right to keep everyone from resting, especially since they had fought two intense battles that day.
"Let's take a break and think."
"Right, Shin-a. You should go get some rest too."
"I will, Noona."
Kang Yujin and the other women urged Han Shin to rest, and he nodded before heading to his room.
Of course, he only said that; he didn't actually feel like resting. He just didn't want to worry them.
'Hmm... isn't there some way...?'
The demon army in this invasion was too vast. On a global scale, their numbers reached into the tens of thousands, a force Han Shin’s group couldn't handle alone.
Since a conventional confrontation offered little hope, they needed a different strategy.
Flop.
"Sigh..."
Throwing himself onto his bed, Han Shin stared at the ceiling, trying to clear his cluttered mind.
But it wasn't easy. He sat back up on the edge of the bed and rubbed his forehead and eyes with his left hand.
Stuck in a deadlock, he pulled out his smartphone and opened the Manager App, hoping it might offer some help.
'Come to think of it... Tiamat called me last time I tried to check this, so I didn't get a chance...'
He scrolled through the Manager App to see if anything had changed.
Because he hadn't checked the app properly in a while, he noticed that his level, as well as the levels of the women, had risen significantly.
The last time he checked, they were around Level 30. Now, he was Level 51.
'Destroying that Black Spire and absorbing all that dark mana must have been a huge factor.'
Since the Black Spire in Morocco’s radiation-filled Desert of Death had been active for over half a day, it had contained a massive amount of dark mana. By devouring all of it, Han Shin had essentially "power-leveled" as if using a cheat code.
It was welcome news, but it wasn't information that helped much in the current situation.
Han Shin moved his finger to check other menus.
"Wait...?"
His jaw dropped, and his eyes widened.
There was a new Follower of Tiamat available for recruitment.
Looking at the SD character, she had blue hair, held a staff, and appeared to be wearing something like a black robe.
"Irene... Is she a mage?"
Reading her name and looking at the character's appearance, Han Shin guessed that she might be a magic user.