Marching Through the Abyss
The Pull had always shown Han Jeong-do the way.
In his twenties, it guided him to the tavern where Ma Jang-dong and Kim Jong-pil were drinking.
In his thirties, it led him to the side of Chairman Kim Jang-chun’s daughter.
And when he learned he had successfully cast that Kim Jong-pil aside.
The Pull was the most reliable ally responsible for Han Jeong-do’s career of more than forty years, the only answer sheet that would lead him to glory.
That was why the current situation left Han Jeong-do utterly bewildered.
“Captain, what are we going to do?”
“The lure tactic doesn’t mean anything anymore.”
“Captain!!”
The plan had collapsed completely.
The lure was no longer their weapon. In fact, it had become the enemy’s.
“Captain. No, Representative. Don’t you have any ideas?”
“You have to tell us what to do so we can convince the team.”
“Captain! Are you listening?”
“Captain!!”
Trust had been shattered. Faith had been broken.
The raid team’s eyes were filled with discontent, and even the rankers who had always supported him now looked at him with open distrust.
And then.
“……Representative. No, excuse me. Mister! Are you really going to act this irresponsibly? You need to clean up your mess. Stand up. Get a grip!”
Kim Ji-ah had now drawn a clear line with him.
Looking at him like a tool that had served its purpose.
However.
Even so.
Despite all of this, the real reason he was truly confused was something else.
‘The answer…… the Pull…… I can’t feel it.’
The Pull that had led Han Jeong-do to glory, his Super Intuition, was no longer providing any answers.
Fire, water, wind, earth.
Magic circles flare as spells blaze to life.
Swords, spears, axes, guns, bows.
Weapons steeped in magic power glow with lethal light.
Wherever flames touch, lava erupts. Where water is poured, glaciers form prisons of ice.
Winds become hurricanes that pulverize everything; the earth opens like a beast’s maw and swallows its prey.
Sword energy tears cracks through space, spears punch holes, axes split the world apart.
Bullets fired from guns explode with elemental fury, while arrows streak like beams of light and tear through the battlefield.
Four guilds.
Two legends.
Seven rankers.
Sixty hunters gathered to close the Gate.
And standing before them all was a single existence.
KAAAAAAH—!!
A body twice the size of a normal dark troll.
A drum stitched from troll hide, bells made of skulls, a spear and axe forged from fused troll spines.
The creature spread all four arms holding its four weapons wide.
It was the master of this world.
Boss. Dark Troll Great Chieftain, “Seven Lives Zalts.”
“Zalts is a fascinating boss. Although its race is troll, it is strictly classified as a ‘demon.’ Some scholars call this transcendence or evolution, while others claim it’s parasitic erosion or mutation.”
“One thing is certain: this is the perfect stage for the hottest match of the season. Seven Lives Zalts is leaping forward!!”
The leaping Seven Lives Zalts crashed back to the ground.
An earthquake erupted. Darkness seeped up from beneath the earth. The face-skins stretched across its drum let out ghostly wails, and moments later the dark trolls Zalts had summoned rose to their feet.
“It’s the summon pattern! Group up, form ranks, and stick to your roles!”
“Tankers, hold the line! Close-range dealers fill the gaps, long-range focus fire!”
“I told you not to use area attacks! These things have higher regeneration than normal dark trolls, you idiots!!”
“Move faster!!”
The Mountain King, the Guardian, and the four guilds formed a cardinal-direction formation centered on Seven Lives Zalts according to orders.
They raised shields and walls of flesh, poured magic and cold steel into the oncoming black wave, and fought back.
And while they did, each guild was steadily working on the boss.
“Kgh! The bastard’s glowing like crazy. Spit. Are there any others?”
“Doesn’t look like it…… whoa!”
“Still, kid, you’re the best of the bunch. Temporary alliance, got it?”
“Underst—ugh!!”
The role of pinning the boss in place had fallen to Park Su-bin and Spear Ghost Yang Kang-cheol.
Facing the rampaging monster, neither of them retreated even half a step.
The giant reinforced by set items and the spear that had awakened Yang Kang-cheol’s Demonic Energy kept the boss under heavy pressure.
“It possesses regenerative power that can even mend a shattered heart. Letting it run free is the same as giving up on the clear!”
“Two dealers slipping through the opening created for them!!”
Two streaks of light intertwined and shot toward the boss’s rear. Blood sprayed with a scream. The two beams that left wounds on its shoulder and flank bounced back out.
Baek Yeon-woo and Light Sword Jong-yu slid across the ground.
“Thieving bastard……”
“Senior, your technique is insane.”
“……Right side?”
“I’ll match you.”
“Arrogant little……”
Light Sword Jong-yu scattered into light with a glare, and Baek Yeon-woo transformed into light without losing a beat. The two beams continued harassing the boss’s rear while also cleaning up the dark trolls being summoned around them.
“If too many of them pile up they become a massive shield. Don’t forget that the boss in front of us grows stronger with every additional participant.”
“That’s why dealing maximum damage whenever an opening appears is more important than ever!”
“Which is why speed and power are essential. One mistake and you’ll be isolated!”
The dealers who had been circling the boss and pouring on damage were all representatives of their respective guilds. Their skill and pride had been proven by their selection as starters for the league matches.
However, the Core Guild’s dealer, who had been struggling to keep up with the pace, was the first to fall out. Next, the Royal Sword Guild’s dealer lost focus, misstepped, and was forced to retreat.
In the end, only Flame Queen Kim Ji-ah, wrapped in flames, and Yu Ri-ra, crackling with lightning, remained.
“I guessed from the roster, but it really is down to you and me. Ha…… get away from me. My eyes hurt. You’re a major player now, shouldn’t you show some class?”
“We decided to call that not class but being a drama queen.”
“Oh? You’ve got quite the mouth on you.”
“You don’t like me very much, do you, sis?”
The moment flames surged in the Flame Queen’s eyes, the boss’s body was swallowed by explosions.
Blossoms of fire detonated exactly where she looked. There was no trajectory. Instant-cast attacks. And the speed was fast enough to land multi-hits.
Yu Ri-ra refused to fall behind.
Lightning-charged mobility, dancing twin pistols, and bullets filled with full power that bent at bizarre angles to tighten the hit map.
Behind them stood the Flower Knight, the Nine-Tailed Fox, and Tinkerbell.
On top of that, world-class commanders like the Mountain King and the Guardian were dismantling each pattern and slowly tightening the noose.
It was dazzling.
The firepower was mesmerizing, and the formation that shifted in perfect order was almost beautiful.
A battle so fierce it stole your breath. How could the fans stay calm watching a scene like this?
The fans were right.
Seven Lives Zalts was a mutant that possessed the top-tier troll regeneration and the bizarre techniques unique to demons.
Yet where did this sense of stability come from?
Just as people were about to sing the rankers’ praises again, the Yongbung fans shoved their way forward with a “move aside” and began their surprise worship.
It really was astonishing.
The man once called a combat demon, Spear Ghost. His genius battle sense was so great that even Sword Masters were said to yield a move in one-on-one fights.
If only his tunnel vision and sudden rampages were fixed, he could easily climb into the top three.
Yet Park Su-bin was matching that Spear Ghost with his own unique tempo using the giant and the light orb.
The same was true for Baek Yeon-woo.
Because of his famously inconsistent play, Light Sword was, along with the Flower Knight, the most underrated ranker among close-combat fighters.
Yet the general opinion was that when the dice rolled a six like today, no one could match Light Sword’s sharpness.
Baek Yeon-woo was keeping up with even that.
But the most surprising of all was Yu Ri-ra.
The first two were holding their own against current rankers, but between Yu Ri-ra and the Flame Queen……
“Your eyesight is probably fine. That’s what I see too.”
“Ah…… it’s awe-inspiring.”
Their firepower was equal. Their accuracy was equal.
But speed. Although the Flame Queen transformed into flame and moved explosively, at some point Yu Ri-ra’s speed had broken away.
As if a surface had become a line and the line had become a point, Yu Ri-ra had at some moment shed lightning and become a star.
“Don’t think about it. Just feel it.”
The rankers’ brilliant performances were a feast for the eyes, the dazzling talent of Lee Shin’s children continued their overwhelming assault, and the fans were glued to the screen, forgetting time as they watched a battle that kept their palms sweating.
One hour passed. Two hours…… the offensive continued.
Finally, Seven Lives Zalts, having exhausted every phase, came to a stop.
Thud.
The boss knelt, staring in disbelief at the bullet lodged in its heart.
A bullet sparking with electricity.
Then its pupils darkened. Past black, into complete abyss.
At that moment, every raid commander screamed at the top of their lungs.
“Everyone fall back!!”
“It’s the revival phase!”
At the same time, everyone nearby—Spear Ghost and Park Su-bin, Light Sword and Baek Yeon-woo, Flame Queen and Yu Ri-ra—retreated.
Right on cue, the kneeling boss’s body was swallowed by the abyss and expanded like an explosion, eroding everything around it.
“The boss’s name often reveals its identity. ‘Seven Lives Zalts.’ Zalts literally possesses seven lives.”
When it lost a life, it was devoured by the abyss.
At that time it gained immunity to all ranged attacks, whether physical or magical.
One might think close-range attacks would work, but the ‘erosion zone’ that spread from the reviving boss’s center dealt damage close to instant death.
“Normally when this revival pattern appears, the team uses the time to reorganize.”
“That’s right—”
“Huh?”
“Huuuh?!!”
“Wait a second!!”
The fans kept spamming question marks.
Because the screen was showing a scene that defied belief.
In sync with the expanding abyss zone, Park Su-bin’s giant threw something. The camera followed it.
It was rising to its feet in the middle of the zone Zalts had created.
“Ha…… what a life.”
The Princess.
Seo Ye-na unfurled wings of divinity in the center of the erosion zone.
Archangel’s Touch (SS)
“Justice” is a miracle that transforms the surrounding area into holy attribute.
Holy light pushed back the abyss.
Seo Ye-na stepped on the sticky, tar-like darkness and rose.
She took a step forward.
“What is this?! What on earth is happening!!”
The damage was real.
Even now the abyss at Seo Ye-na’s feet was crawling up her like insects, and she was truly experiencing the agony of her entire body being torn apart.
Yet she still left footprints.
The entire healer team focused their healing on Seo Ye-na.
Team members under the Link Force that bound their health all chugged top-grade potions like madmen. On top of that, the Mountain King summoned the World Tree to pour in life force.
And finally, Pridwen was hanging on Seo Ye-na’s back.
Pridwen asked if she was righteous. Seo Ye-na clicked her tongue.
‘Want to die? Just help.’
Pridwen scattered light.
She refused to yield and kept taking steps.
“This is crazy. How is that even possible?”
Seo Ye-na walked with her mace dangling limply.
The other three guilds could not even comprehend the madness that defied common sense; they simply watched with jaws dropped.
They watched Seo Ye-na who shook off the abyss and kept walking.
“Only a few steps left!”
One step despite the crushing pain.
One step despite the surging abyss.
Every time she took a step, one member of the raid team collapsed. Every time she took another step, one healer fell from exhaustion.
Yet she still walked.
The pain that could not kill her would only make her stronger.
“She finally made it!”
She had finally arrived.
Seo Ye-na stood before the kneeling Seven Lives Zalts.
She gripped the mace she had been dragging with both hands. Then, with a powerful motion, she lifted it high and shouted the words she had been muttering the entire time.
And brought it down!!!
“Representative……!!”
DIE!!!!
1st. Mir Guild (+3)
2nd. Kirin Guild (+1)
3rd. Royal Sword Guild (-1)
4th. Core Guild (-3)