Chapter 136: The Protagonist Always Appears Last
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136: The Protagonist Always Appears Last
Frey breaks away to deal with Okigo, and Turk takes over command.
“Selby, scale back the scouting data you’re sending to Angelica.”
“How much should I cut?”
“Mots and Sunwoo are there, so we don’t need to worry about the base entrance. Just check and send data for the ten-meter radius around the perimeter. Brandon! You’re swapping out in five minutes!”
“Got it!”
“Listen up, everyone! This isn’t an extermination mission. Once Yeon-woo connects the signal, a bombardment will drop and sweep these stinking monsters away! You don’t need to kill them—just push them back and buy us time!”
As Turk issued orders to the team, he felt a gaze on him and turned to see Yukina.
“What? It’ll be a problem if you fall for me.”
“I won’t fall for you; Yeon-woo is here. How can someone become that strong?”
“You fell for that kid too? Man, the Boss is gonna have a hard time… No, wait, if it’s the Boss… actually, age is a major hurdle, so maybe… Ah, you asked how we got strong?”
When Yukina nodded, Turk chuckled.
“I don’t know either.”
“… …”
“I’m not joking. Everyone has a different way of getting stronger. Personally, I don’t think I’m powerful enough to act all high and mighty and give you a roadmap. Besides, what you’re seeing as ‘strong’ isn’t just me—it’s the Boss’s entire team. I can only give you the usual cliché: we’ve crossed the line between life and death together countless times and put in a hell of a lot of work over a long period.”
As Turk said, it was advice anyone could give.
However, those who actually followed that advice to become strong and make a name for themselves were few and far between.
Until now, Yukina had always fought alone.
As a hitman for the Organization, she often moved in the shadows. Even when open warfare broke out, the skill gap between her and the others was so vast that it could hardly be called cooperation.
But now, she had to form a team to fight stronger enemies and more powerful monsters.
When Yeon-woo asked if she could oversee the team’s tactical training, she wasn’t confident, but she agreed.
To avoid disappointing him, she cut back on her personal training to study countless videos and tactical manuals. At first, she thought her efforts were paying off.
When Yeon-woo relied on her and they worked on their teamwork, the flaws became visible one by one.
As she pointed them out and things changed, she felt the joy of teaching and gained confidence.
However, that confidence was shattered by Kaira’s words after watching their training.
‘I had high expectations, but this is underwhelming… There’s no way Yggdrasil is below average, so I guess they just don’t do any cooperative training in the first year.’
Yukina thought they had done quite well, but Kaira dismissed them as below average and left as if she had lost all interest.
She didn’t care if she was looked down upon.
But she couldn’t stand the thought of Yeon-woo’s team being looked down upon.
That was why Yukina, who was in charge of tactical training, hated her own lack of ability.
Because of her, Yeon-woo was being ignored, and his team was being mocked.
That was the reason Yukina had momentarily forgotten the battle and stared blankly when Frey’s team showed what a legendary squad truly looked like.
Turk, being quick-witted, couldn’t know her exact circumstances, but he picked up on her negative emotions.
“Aren’t you more comfortable fighting alone anyway? It’s only natural to feel lacking when you’re doing something you’re not used to.”
“…You can tell that much in such a short time?”
“How many mages do you think I’ve seen? From greenhorns to the 12 Zodiacs, I’ve probably seen nearly ten thousand. It can’t be helped if you’re clumsy at something new. The real question is how fast you can learn and become proficient.”
“Hey! I’m busting my ass over here, and you’re just shooting the shit?!”
“Whoops. I didn’t think you’d struggle with just some Chisara, Brandon.”
“Of course I’m not struggling! But watching you slack off while I work is damn hard!”
As Brandon shouted in anger, Turk chuckled and moved to swap positions with him.
Brandon showed no signs of injury, and his breathing and mana were stable. If one hadn’t seen it firsthand, it would be impossible to tell he had just been in the heat of battle.
It wasn’t just Brandon; Mots and Sunwoo, who were blocking the entrance, were also sweeping away the Chisara—now swarming in triple the numbers—with calm expressions.
A veteran team, one that could rival the 12 Zodiacs, was a fresh shock to Yukina.
And above all—
Yukina’s eyes peered through the thick fog.
A mage who could ignore tactics because she was the tactic…
Every time Okigo swung its fist, the fog that refused to budge no matter what else happened would scatter in all directions.
Frey moved through those gaps with total freedom.
BOOM—!
With a thunderous roar that didn’t sound like it could come from a human fist, Okigo’s jaw twisted as it was knocked backward.
Frey, who had leaped up to strike the massive Okigo’s head, scanned the swarming strands of fog as she landed.
‘The government’s research couldn’t have been wrong. If so, this is either a new White Abyss or it’s being influenced by something.’
Thinking that whatever it was was a pain in the ass, Frey moved her feet again.
The fog was more sensitive than the usual White Abyss, or perhaps it was learning; every time she repeated the act of taking flight, the speed of the strands increased.
Normally, the strands would speed up the longer one stayed airborne, but they would reset once your feet touched the ground. This one wasn’t resetting; it was maintaining its speed.
Because of this, Frey was fighting at a disadvantage against a monster far larger than a human.
Due to its size, she had to jump to target its weaknesses, and there were times she had to leave the ground just to dodge Okigo’s simple arm swings.
With all those factors adding up and the fog strands getting faster, Frey couldn’t afford to leave the ground recklessly.
“Of all things, it has to be an Okigo, and of all places, it has to be the White Abyss? How annoying.”
The reason Okigo had reached Hazard Level 7 was its overwhelming defense.
Its durability was evident just by the fact that it could withstand a Magnum, which could pierce through almost any other monster in a single shot.
Okigo possessed higher defense than monsters ranked even higher than itself, and it used its overflowing stamina to lay waste to its surroundings.
Normally, the standard strategy was to use elemental weaknesses or poison to kill it slowly rather than relying on physical damage, making it a poor match for Frey.
‘Striking from above halves the power. If only I had something to brace against.’
Frey frowned as she dodged Okigo’s swinging arm.
If the White Abyss weren’t here, she could have leaped up, slammed Okigo down, and unloaded a barrage of Magnums into its head while it was pinned to the ground.
It was a battlefield so advantageous to Okigo that the phrase ‘of all things’ felt appropriate.
‘Is it really just a coincidence?’
Natural phenomena overlapping is one thing, but this battlefield was too perfectly suited for Okigo.
It was as if someone had prepared it with intent.
After parrying Okigo’s fist head-on, Frey looked up at the sky, obscured by the fog.
That kid would be in the same boat, his airtime constantly accumulating as the strands chased him.
Thinking about it that way, Yeon-woo’s climb up the communication tower would be even more difficult.
Frey was just beginning to wonder if it would be better to give up on the tower and switch to a full offensive rather than holding out for Yeon-woo to connect the signal.
WIIIIIIIIING—
An emergency siren blared from the speakers installed throughout the base.
“Reclamation Protocol B has been activated. Bombardment will commence shortly. All personnel are advised to move to a safe area and tune your mana fluctuations to Government Designation D. Repeating—”
As the recorded voice played, cheers erupted from the people behind Frey.
A smile spread across Frey’s lips as well.
She felt like a fool for worrying even for a moment, and she was proud of Yeon-woo for connecting the signal despite the difficult circumstances.
As everyone changed their mana fluctuations according to the instructions, Frey stepped up her attack, pushing Okigo further away from the communication tower.
“Phew… I’m beat.”
With no room to lie down, Yeon-woo muttered as he slumped against the railing.
In the distance, he could see Masayoshi and Angelica waving their hands to celebrate the success. Yeon-woo took a drink of water and pulled himself up.
The grueling climb had been worth it.
Yeon-woo, who had rushed up while ignoring his destabilizing mana, had been momentarily flustered by the communication device, which was more complex than expected.
He thought he had studied the structure perfectly so he could fix it no matter where it broke, but there was a gap between theory and practice.
Furthermore, having dropped a few tools on the way up, Yeon-woo had been more nervous fixing the device than he had been during the climb.
After barely managing to fix it by rewatching his prepared videos several times, Yeon-woo was exhausted and had collapsed against the thin railing.
As he was steadying his mana, which had become unstable from the forced ascent, he saw thousands of streaks of light flying in from the distance.
“This is probably the last thing you’d see if a nuclear war broke out.”
The thousands of light streaks drawing lines across the sky were a magnificent sight.
Since it was magic fired simultaneously by hundreds of mages on standby, it couldn't help but be spectacular.
“Wait?”
Thinking they might pass over the communication tower, Yeon-woo tilted his head and looked up. Suddenly, the streaks of light bent at a 90-degree angle and plummeted toward the base.
Watching from his prime seat atop the tower, Yeon-woo could only gape at the majesty of the light streaks passing by him and falling into the fog.
This is why people come to other worlds, Yeon-woo muttered, satisfied by the brilliant light show.
Though called a bombardment, the magic was actually closer to sniping.
The thousands of light streaks accurately pierced only the Chisara, causing no explosions or collateral damage.
Now, only Okigo remained.
Without even considering the possibility that this magic alone would take down Okigo, Yeon-woo placed his foot on the unstable railing.
“The protagonist always appears last.”
After uttering the cool line and taking a stance, Yeon-woo stared at the fog for a moment, then turned around and grabbed the communication tower.
Even though he knew his mana barrier would hold, and even though he had experienced heights in the Illusion Space, scary was still scary.
His heart pounded at the thought of jumping from such an immeasurable height. Yeon-woo took a sharp breath and leaped before his resolve could crumble.
“KRAAAAAAARGH!”
As if furious from being constantly hit, Okigo let out a monstrous roar. Frey frowned and covered her ears.
“Shut it. Your breath stinks.”
“KRAAAAAA!”
As Okigo lowered its stance and roared, the team members rushed toward Frey.
“Chisara annihilated! Joining the fray!”
Ting—!
Just then, the sound of a coin falling echoed from beyond the fog.
The sound wasn't a single note but a continuous sequence. Frey smirked and turned back to her team.
“Back off.”
The team members reacted instantly to Frey’s command, stopping in their tracks. A beat later, Yukina and Takeo stopped as well.
“Ugh—”
“He certainly knows how to make an entrance.”
Turk, who had caught Rio by the scruff of the neck before he could overshoot, looked up at the sky and laughed.
“Are we finally going to see the Boss’s secret child?”
“Child?! I told you, he’s my disciple.”
“Wasn’t he your secret lover? I heard you seduced a younger guy.”
Frey wanted to punch her subordinates in the jaw right then and there, but she held back and focused on Okigo as it charged toward her.
The earth is my friend and teacher. Plant your feet and pour all your strength into your fist.
Frey took control of her entire body, concentrating all her power into her fist.
Her original magic, Magnum, activated as Frey lunged into Okigo’s guard.
Her entire body, from toes to head, became a support tool for the strike. She drew up her power and swung her fist.
Earlier, she had avoided upward attacks because the power would be dispersed.
But now, she delivered an uppercut directly under Okigo’s jaw without a moment’s hesitation.
“Die!!”
KABOOM——!!
Yeon-woo, draped in countless fog strands, erupted through the mist with a shout, slamming down on Okigo’s head just as Frey’s uppercut pierced through the bottom of its jaw.
Okigo’s massive head was compressed by the forces erupting from above and below. It crumpled, then exploded, spraying blood and flesh in every direction.
“Uh… huh? Whoa? Gwak—!”
Though gravity and the pull of the strands were factored in, Frey’s Magnum was stronger than Yeon-woo’s. The downward force was pushed back, and the impact overwhelmed him.
However, because the strands were still holding him, he wasn't blown far and instead landed on the floor covered in blood and gore.
“Blegh— pui, pui… Ow, watch your output, will you?”
“How am I supposed to match that?”
“Well—fair point. Anyway, it’s been a while, Master.”
Yeon-woo, who had been forced to communicate only through Turk for requests and information, looked up at Frey and smiled.
Though he was a mess, covered in blood and bits of monster, his innocent smile was brilliant. Frey looked back at him and smiled in return.