The Final Day's Cataclysm
Before they knew it, the competitive raid for Group 2 had entered its latter half.
Mir Guild and Taeyang Guild were locked in a ferocious battle against an endless hell of monsters.
“Kiii—!”
“Dieeeee!!”
Monsters bared their yellow fangs and roared at the humans climbing the walls. Hunters answered with their own war cries, slamming axes down into the creatures’ skulls.
A monster wave surged up the ramparts like ants, driven by pure hatred for humanity. Hunters stood in their way, fighting with everything they had.
The sky was packed with magic. House-sized hammers of flame vaporized monsters on impact. Explosions turned them into molten lava that scorched the ground, while sheets of ice rained down beside the blazing earth.
Even the gnolls, hyenas, sandmen, and the eleventh-stage monster known as the Gnoll Champion were frozen solid and shattered to pieces.
Hurricanes shredded the waves. The earth itself opened wide jaws and swallowed monsters whole. Indifferent spheres of explosion used the creatures as kindling, swelling into towering walls of fire.
It was brutal. It was savage.
They swung their weapons until their mouths filled with the sweet taste of exhaustion. They chugged mana potions and hurled spells without pause. They patched crumbling walls with stone and magic. They fought off sleep with stimulants and stared through bloodshot eyes, looking more monstrous than the monsters they fought.
If anyone asked what drove them to such desperation, the answer was simple.
“Don’t lose!”
“Kill at least one more than those bastards!!”
Competitive spirit. Pure rivalry.
The weight of the word “pro” was heavy. The desire to repay their fans was real. But at this point, the only thing left in their hearts was the single-minded refusal to lose to the other side.
In that way, Mir Guild and Taeyang Guild—the dragon and the sun—were acutely aware of each other.
Yet something felt off. Four guilds had entered the competitive raid. Four guilds were competing. So why were only Mir and Taeyang being talked about?
The reason was obvious.
The others simply couldn’t hold on.
“Ha……”
“They’re still fighting?”
“This is getting disgusting. Anyone got a beer?”
“They’re swarming like bugs.”
“Ugh, don’t talk about bugs. I’m gonna throw up.”
“Hah, I can only laugh. How is the entire view nothing but monsters?”
“For real. Even if they turned this into CG, it’d cost a fortune.”
Rocky cliffs rose sporadically across the desert. From this high safe zone that stretched toward the sky like a city of skyscrapers, a group of people sat watching the carnage below.
They were the hunters of Core Guild and Challenger Guild. They had already given up and taken shelter.
To be fair, both guilds had done everything they could in this hellish environment. They had entered the wave with almost no preparation—what else could they have done?
Unlike Mir and Taeyang, they had no walls to rely on. They were forced to hold out with nothing but makeshift barricades.
An extreme situation they had never trained for—honestly, one that was nearly impossible to train for.
They hadn’t slept properly for even an hour. They chewed energy bars stained with monster blood and kept fighting. For sixteen days they had balanced on a knife’s edge.
In the end, Challenger Guild raised the white flag first. As if surrender were contagious, Core Guild soon followed.
White flag confirmed. Will you forfeit the raid? Forfeiting the raid will result in the lowest score of -3 points. I will ask once more. Will you forfeit?
The Bureau referees had descended from the sky the moment the flags appeared. Their timing was almost comical, but both guilds had already reached their absolute limits. They had no energy left to care.
Some people would curse them.
You should have built walls too! Not training is nothing to brag about!
Professionals are supposed to prepare for the worst! Think about the salary you’re paid!
They knew that. They accepted it. But who could have predicted that Lee Shin would turn the gate into such a nightmare? Who could have guessed he would pull something this insane?
“That son of a bitch. All that talk about cherishing his hunters was pure bullshit. Is this what a sane person does?”
“Agreed. What kind of sane person throws their own guild into this hell?”
No matter how much they had prepared, Mir Guild could not have come through this unscathed. The proof was everywhere. Hwarang Kim Yu-shin was covered in monster blood and barely standing. Seo Ye-na had let her hair down and was exploding gnolls left and right.
The smile had vanished from Blitz Yu Ri-ra’s face. Genius Baek Yeon-woo kept rubbing his tired eyes. Even Colossus Park Su-bin looked worn to the bone.
Sanwang Kim Jong-pil, who always maintained his dignity no matter the situation, was visibly exhausted.
Even with perfect preparation, their consumption was just as heavy.
“It’s not like there wasn’t a normal way to do this. A standard approach would have given them the advantage. Why go this far?”
“He’s a mad general dragging his troops down with him. They could have won easily without any of this. Instead he’s making everyone suffer.”
Criticism toward Lee Shin continued. How many people had suffered because of his madness?
But not everyone felt the same.
“What are those idiots even saying? What’s there to brag about?”
“Hey, keep it down. They must be pretty frustrated to be acting like that.”
In the pro world, the one who loses is at fault. Lee Shin had turned the gate into hell and ruined the match?
They needed to get their story straight.
What was ruined wasn’t the match—it was them. This was strategy. It was part of the game. The moment they denied the match itself, they stopped being pros.
Besides, they had already done something no pro should ever do.
“They should have held on at least. Even if they lost the base and had to cling to the cliffs, they should have endured.”
“Their mindset was wrong from the start. They thought finishing third would be good enough. That’s why they ended up like this.”
“Giving up the moment Challenger surrendered? How does that make any sense? …I’m too embarrassed to even show my face.”
In the world of competition, nothing was more shameful than giving up.
There was no greater humiliation for a pro than failing to see a match through to the end.
Perhaps the people cursing Lee Shin right now were raising their voices precisely because they knew that. If they stopped talking, they would have to face their own shame.
That was why they couldn’t lift their heads.
That was why they couldn’t tear their eyes away from the two guilds still fighting desperately at the bottom of that hell.
“Both Mir and Taeyang are fighting like they’re possessed. Their responses are perfect, and their stamina management is flawless.”
“Look at how they’re preserving their main forces. Perfectly timed rotations. It’s honestly giving me chills.”
“Big sis Guardian is truly amazing.”
“I’m jealous of both of them.”
What more needed to be said?
Those who gave their all would always shine.
The two guilds pouring out every ounce of their strength were shining brilliantly.
“But, um… is it just me, or are they getting stronger the longer this goes on?”
Taeyang Guild camp.
Black Star Gong Ju-in tilted her head, sensing a subtle feeling blooming inside her.
‘What is this?’
It was strange. She couldn’t quite put it into words, but the feeling was oddly pleasant—almost exciting in a good way.
— “Master, what are you doing!”
“Ah… yes!”
Startled by the radio, she snapped back to attention. Once more the Black Star, she thrust her hand downward.
“Fire!”
The skeleton legion released the bowstrings they had drawn toward the sky.
―――――――!!
Arrows shot upward at her signal. A volley that blocked out the sun cast shadows across the earth.
The moment the monsters stared up in confusion at the inexplicable darkness, razor-sharp bone arrows pierced their eyes. They shattered knees, impaled shoulders, and tore bodies to shreds.
The skeleton legion fired mechanically. The arrows rained down like a storm, slaughtering monsters by the hundreds.
And even as that happened, Gong Ju-in did not stop.
‘More!’
Riding a skeletal horse into the air, she scattered sepulchers.
Blue ghostly energy settled into the Lich King skulls attached to the sepulchers.
The arrows that had been slaughtering monsters melted into the desert sand. Of course—they were bone, after all.
And bone was an excellent medium…
“Rise!”
BOOOOM——!!
Giant white-boned hands burst from beneath the desert. Bone golems—giants made entirely of bone.
Maximum attack power, maximum defense, maximum resistance to both physical and magical damage.
On top of that, they attacked the soul with the cold of death, dealing true damage. It was one of Black Star’s top three skills.
The bone golems radiated murderous intent as they trampled monsters. The creatures screamed and resisted, but the golems multiplied as quickly as the falling arrows. The cracks in the monster wave grew wider and wider.
It looked as if someone had punched a hole in the sea.
Black Star’s performance was dazzling, yet she only shook her head.
‘More! It’s still not enough—!!’
She pulled a syringe from her pocket.
Mana potions were the most common type and placed the least burden on the body. However, because they were absorbed through the stomach, the mana recovery was slow.
To refill the massive amount of mana she had spent summoning the bone golem army, and to prepare for the spell she was about to cast, potions simply weren’t enough.
She stabbed the syringe near her collarbone.
Thud!!
Her heart tightened. Heat rushed to the top of her head as mana flooded her body at terrifying speed.
I can do this! Black Star’s bloodshot eyes darkened. Once again the Lich King’s scepter radiated ghostly energy.
Necrotic Reverse
The magic that, together with the bone golems, formed the core of Black Star’s group battles.
Its single effect was simple: resurrection across a vast area.
Crack.
Kyaaaaaaa——!
The bodies of dead monsters rose and began tearing into the comrades they had fought beside only moments ago.
Because it raised every creature that died within range, the more they killed, the more powerful the spell became.
That was why they had to kill as many as possible right now!
The moment Black Star was about to call for support from her allies, a voice came over the general channel.
— “Horus!”
At Horus’s gesture, the desert hidden behind the monster wave surged upward and crashed back down.
— “Specter, Sword Master.”
Specter and the Sword Master, who had already left the walls, rampaged across the battlefield.
Then the gates in the wall opened.
The Guardian riding a Bengal tiger raised her spear high.
— “Close-range fighters. Follow me.”
Charge!
Kwaaaaaaaa——!!
The raid team surged forward with the tiger’s roar, sweeping away everything in their path.
The monster wave that had seemed impossible to push back was finally being driven away for the first time.
Watching from the sky, Black Star smiled.
“Hahaha…… So that’s it. I was happy.”
The fact that she could compete on equal footing with the best team, on the biggest stage, against the strongest opponents.
She had been happy without even realizing it.
And she wasn’t the only one.
Sword Master Park Gwang-seob was smiling. Guardian Yeo Eun-seo, drenched in monster blood, was smiling too. Every member of the raid team was enjoying this radiant stage.
Still smiling brightly, Black Star stabbed another syringe into her neck.
“Rise.”
The legion of bones charged forward.
It was the nineteenth day of the raid.
Mir Guild camp.
At some point, words had grown scarce here as well.
It wasn’t because they were too tired to speak. Their breathing had reached such an extreme that unnecessary words had become pointless.
“Right side!”
“Left!”
Hwarang’s silver shield charged to the right. With a crunch, the colliding monster’s limbs twisted as it was sent flying.
To the left, Princess’s iron chains whipped outward. With a bang like a drum exploding, the monster burst apart.
Genius and Colossus, who had been kicking monsters off the wall, met each other’s eyes.
“Bokchi!”
“Yeonu!”
As if they had planned it, they kicked off the wall and leaped into the air, dropping straight into the center of the monster wave.
While Gigant’s two fists blasted the earth apart, Cheon-bong transformed into a massive greatsword and sliced the entire area in half.
Watching them, Sanwang spoke.
“Hye-jung. Mal-sook.”
“Yes!”
“On it!”
At the same time, Sanwang’s stump shot into the sky like a road. Kang Mal-sook and Lee Hye-jung ran along the extending stump.
The two of them dropped toward the spot where Genius and Colossus were fighting.
The moment they left the stump—
Diablo equipped itself onto Kang Mal-sook’s body.
Night wrapped around Lee Hye-jung.
The instant they landed, Kang Mal-sook pressured the entire area. In contrast, Lee Hye-jung’s night became a protective curtain for her two younger guildmates.
That was when it happened.
“Vita. Ri-ra.”
— “Confirmed!!”
The moment adult Vita fluttered her cloak.
The moment Blitz, who had been hanging from the cliff, pulled the trigger.
The trees they had planted transformed into cannons and roared with fire. The sniper rifles installed along the cliff all spat lightning at once.
Extreme conditions. Breathing pushed to its peak.
A monster wave on the verge of annihilation.
It was the twentieth day of the raid.
And then came the twenty-first day.
The moment the final day arrived, both guilds kicked off the walls and charged out as if they had promised to do so together!
“They’re out! Mir Guild and Taeyang Guild have left the walls and are launching a counterattack!”
“Just as expected. On the very last day of the time limit, they’re pouring out everything they have!”
The experts’ predicted winner was Mir Guild.
Although Horus had forced the wave level up to eleven, from that point on Mir Guild had stopped looking for the key and focused entirely on hunting.
“Looking back, it was a judgment that still gives me chills. Since they didn’t need to see the boss anyway, they decided to settle everything with subjugation points.”
“Guardian must have noticed as well—she was clearly saving her strength for today!”
“And today is that day.”
“That’s right. Viewers, do not look away. It is today.”
“This long-awaited final day! This is the day of the decisive battle! Mir and Taeyang, Taeyang and Mir. The ‘Group 2 Competitive Raid’ that received the greatest attention in history will be decided today!!”
Black Star’s skeleton cavalry legion pierced through the monster wave. Sanwang’s spirit bombardment annihilated entire sections of it.
The greatsword slammed down by the Sword Master split the desert in two. The sword of light swung by Genius cleaved the monster wave apart.
Wherever Specter passed in a trail of smoke, only monster corpses remained. Wherever Blitz’s lightning flashed, not even corpses were left behind.
“Horus is moving the desert!!”
“Colossus’s mechanical giant is pounding the desert!”
“Guardian is displaying incredible combat power!”
“Ppuppu! The Hwarang train is shoving the monsters away!!”
They lived up to their reputations.
The rankers, strengthened by stimulants and every kind of buff imaginable, acted like strategic weapons. They were pushing back a monster wave that had seemed like it would never end.
But at that moment, someone appeared who shattered the tight balance.
“Huh?”
“Mal-sook… is flying?!”
Sanwang had used a wooden catapult to hurl Kang Mal-sook straight into the middle of the monster wave.
Diablo equipped itself onto her while she was still in mid-air.
The moment she landed, she drove her arm into the desert like a drilling rig.
It was a completely different stance from her usual shield-focused “Pressure Mode.”
The reason soon became clear.
“Baby!”
“Bite down hard.”
Colossus Park Su-bin had already moved behind her.
The Gigant behind him exploded with smoke and poured power through cables.
Clank, clank, clank. The moment the cables connected to Kang Mal-sook’s Diablo—
The 'God of Mechanical Devices' is increasing output.
One…… Two…… Three…… Four……
Level 5.
A massive explosion.
The desert itself flipped over.
1st. Mir Guild (+3)
2nd. Taeyang Guild (+1)
Forfeit. Core Guild (-3)
Forfeit. Challenger Guild (-3)