Chapter 512: A Changed Situation (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 512: A Changed Situation (4)
Busan's final line of defense.
Beyond the walls, monsters swarmed in pitch-black waves.
Fortunately, the seawater had not reached this far, but the hideous creatures that had dragged themselves onto land formed a literal tide, living up to the name "Monster Wave." It was a sight that made one's legs tremble just looking at it. Facing this grim reality, Cha Young-min summoned his company commanders and issued his orders.
"Deploy the magic bombs. You may use every single one we have in our inventory. Do not let the enemy reach the walls."
"...Already, sir?"
"Yes."
The company commanders were taken aback.
Magic bombs.
They were the pinnacle of magical technology.
As the name suggested, they were explosives powered by mana stones. While their destructive power was undeniable, they were far too expensive to be used recklessly. The Busan government had stockpiled hundreds of magic bombs in preparation for the Great Disaster. While that might seem like a substantial amount at first glance, anyone who had experienced a Great Disaster knew that a few hundred magic bombs would barely last two days.
Monsters attacked day and night without pause.
Against such relentless foes, supplies were bound to run dry.
Normally, resources were rationed carefully. Since they couldn't expect help from the Central Government until about fifteen days after Red Time ended, the standard manual dictated that they hold the line with their own bodies as much as possible, reserving magic bombs only for moments of extreme crisis. The company commanders of Busan had been trained this way, yet Cha Young-min was authorizing the use of magic bombs when the final defense line wasn't even in immediate danger of collapsing.
Cha Young-min spoke.
"The Incheon government has promised to support us in two days. Our objective is to hold out until then. If we try to hoard our supplies, we'll get completely swept away by the Monster Wave. Do not hesitate to use the magic bombs."
"Understood."
"We will follow your orders."
It was hard to believe.
Both the promise of Incheon's aid and the idea that they could resolve Busan's crisis.
However, trusting that Cha Young-min had his reasons, the company commanders quickly took their positions.
And then—
"Fire the magic bombs!"
"Attack the enemy!"
Rumble!
Craaaack!
The magic bombs detonated.
As mana was channeled into the mana stones, they began to violently fluctuate, and the spells inscribed within erupted like active volcanoes.
[Thunder Cannon]
[Thunder Cannon]
[Thunder Cannon]
Their opponents were marine monsters.
Having just emerged from the seawater, they were highly vulnerable, and the lightning-attribute magic bombs detonated all at once.
Bzzt! Crackle!
Boom!
Crash!
The monsters were instantly engulfed.
The immense destructive power made them shriek in agony, and those rushing at the front fell to the ground, charred black. Yet, the empty spots were immediately filled by others. Completely indifferent to the deaths of their own kind, they trampled over the corpses and pressed forward relentlessly. The company commanders continued to order the deployment of magic bombs. Because they were unleashing their full firepower from the very beginning, even the massive Monster Wave failed to reach the walls.
However, the Great Disaster was not something that would end in an hour or two.
In the blink of an eye, they had expended over a hundred magic bombs.
Seeing no sign of the disaster abating, one of the company commanders wore a look of despair.
"...How on earth are we supposed to stop this?"
This was their first time experiencing a Monster Wave.
Confronted with this grim reality, they realized they wouldn't have lasted even a single day without the magic bombs.
If they had waited for the Central Government, Busan would have been utterly destroyed.
They trusted Cha Young-min's judgment.
No, they had to trust it.
In two days—the single promise of Incheon's aid was Busan's only hope of survival.
* * *
Incheon's shelter.
It was located underground.
A massive subterranean space had been constructed for emergencies, and civilians huddled together in small groups, their faces etched with anxiety.
A man spoke up.
"...Can we really survive this? It's not just a regular attack; a Monster Wave has formed right near Incheon. In the history of South Korea, I've never heard of a single city holding off a Monster Wave without the help of the Central Government."
They had no way of knowing what was happening outside.
Although Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok had asked them to trust him, some could not help but be consumed by anxiety.
At the man's words, others who shared his fears chimed in.
"Honestly, it's going to be tough. We might hold out for a day or two, but this endless hell will eventually bring all of Incheon down."
"I truly respect Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok, but I think rejecting the Central Government was a hasty decision. There's a reason why people in the provinces endure the Central Government's unfair treatment. In a situation like this, if a national-scale force doesn't step in, a single city like Incheon can never survive a Great Disaster. We've dug our own graves. Right now, begging the Central Government for help is our only way to survive."
It was a despairing situation.
Confined to a space cut off from the outside world, those who had entrusted their lives to others only grew more anxious as time ticked by.
However, that was all.
Though some harbored complaints, the majority tried their best to suppress those feelings.
A middle-aged man spoke.
"Everyone, let's trust Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok. Let's trust Lord Roman Dmitry, whom the Mayor chose. Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok has never turned his back on Incheon, no matter the circumstances. He asked us to trust him and wait. Even if we can't be of help, let's at least not drag him down."
"He's right. We are safe in here, but those with power are risking their lives to fight out there. Rather than doubting their efforts, let us all clasp our hands and pray for Incheon's survival."
It was an agonizingly long wait.
In a space where they couldn't even tell day from night, the citizens of Incheon desperately suppressed their anxiety.
Some of the more hot-blooded individuals even argued that they should go outside and fight.
Although Kim Jun-hyeok had sent them to the shelter to prevent senseless civilian casualties, they wanted to help in any way they could, even if they couldn't fight on the front lines. It was a truly tense and anxious period. They had never experienced a leader like Roman Dmitry. Having never been ruled by the truly strong, they had always associated waiting with a despairing end.
One day passed.
Two days passed.
Then came the third day.
The crowd began to grow restless. The sheer silence was unnerving.
"...Could it be that all of Incheon's soldiers have died? And we're only safe because the monsters haven't found this underground space yet?"
They completely ruled out the possibility of victory.
It was simply too unrealistic.
Resolving a Monster Wave so quickly was an impossible feat.
By now, devastating news should have reached them, but the absolute silence allowed their imaginations to run wild.
It was then.
Creeeak.
The door opened.
The sealed entrance swung wide, and a man who looked remarkably clean stepped inside.
It was Kang Min-ho.
He spoke.
"Red Time has ended. A baseline of safety has been secured, so you may all step outside now."
* * *
It was shocking.
Red Time had ended.
When they first heard Kang Min-ho's words, the people could not process the literal meaning of his statement.
Did the Monster Wave bypass us? Otherwise, there's no way Red Time could have passed so peacefully.
Surely, a stroke of divine luck had been at play.
Incheon must not have been in as much danger as they had thought.
But then—
"Oh my god..."
"Are these all monsters?"
The people gasped.
What caught their eyes as they stepped outside was an astronomical number of corpses.
Beyond the walls, the monsters that had been trying to scale them just moments ago lay strewn across the ground, steam still rising from their bodies. There were so many it was impossible to count. The sight alone proved that a Monster Wave had indeed struck, making it even harder to believe that Incheon had overcome this crisis solely with its own forces.
Kang Min-ho spoke.
"This is all thanks to Lord Roman Dmitry. He annihilated the Monster Wave and even took down the S-Rank monster, the Green Dragon, that appeared near Incheon. It is safe now. Although Blood Rain fell again just a short while ago, we had established a solid defense system for Incheon, allowing us to repel the monsters' attacks without any major issues. Red Time is over. Since we have determined that no further anomalies will occur, we have opened the shelter doors so that you may all come out."
"We need your help now. Please head down to the base of the walls and help us clear away the corpses."
Everyone was utterly dazed.
Every word they heard was mind-boggling.
For now, they followed orders and headed down to the base of the walls. As they cleared away the mountain of corpses, they replayed Kang Min-ho's words in their minds.
Roman Dmitry.
Just what kind of person was he?
Not only had he annihilated a Monster Wave, but he had also slain an S-Rank monster like the Green Dragon.
One thing was certain: Incheon was safe.
Roman Dmitry had brought peace to Incheon.
The middle-aged man spoke up.
"Where is Lord Roman Dmitry? I want to express my deepest gratitude to him."
"Me too."
"Please let us see him."
Everyone chimed in.
To the citizens of Incheon, Roman Dmitry was their savior.
Looking at the gathering crowd, Kang Min-ho smiled.
"You will be able to meet him soon, but not right now. Immediately after securing Incheon's safety, Lord Roman Dmitry departed for Busan alongside the White-clad Mage to assist them. Do not worry. Lord Roman Dmitry assured us that if Incheon falls into danger again, he will put all other matters aside and return here instantly using teleportation magic."
It was incredibly reassuring.
Absolute trust in Roman Dmitry was written all over Kang Min-ho's face.
"Please do not forget how you feel right now. It is solely thanks to Lord Roman Dmitry that we are alive."
* * *
Red Time had ended.
However, that did not mean the Great Disaster was over.
Even if no new anomalies arose, they still had to deal with the crises that had already descended upon their world.
Thwack!
Splurt!
A monster's head was severed.
Barely managing to cut it down, Cha Young-min panted heavily, his face drenched in sweat and blood.
"Whew... haah..."
Atop the walls, the scene was horrific.
Countless people who had sworn to protect Busan had become cold corpses, and the endless onslaught of monsters made everyone lose all track of time. His body was in terrible shape. He was torn and slashed in multiple places, but after fighting day and night, his body had grown numb to the pain.
Shriek!
Growl!
Once again, monsters scaled the walls.
Their supply of magic bombs had run dry long ago, forcing them to drag their exhausted bodies forward to face the rushing beasts.
"Don't give up! We can survive—"
Suddenly, Cha Young-min's eyes widened in shock.
Beyond the walls, an even greater horde of monsters was swarming in.
By now, the Monster Wave should have been weakening, but instead, it pulsed with even stronger magic power, spewing out a force far greater than all the monsters they had slain so far. It was a moment of utter despair. This was not something human strength could stop. Even if the Central Government were to send aid to Busan this very second, they would only be swept away by the tidal wave of monsters.
Is this the end?
Despair took hold.
The light faded from his eyes.
The promise he had made with Roman Dmitry—he had forgotten it during these grueling hours.
At first, he had waited for him. But pushed to his absolute mental and physical limits, he had already accepted death in his heart.
Clench.
If I'm destined to die here, I'm taking at least one more of these bastards with me.
He gritted his teeth.
It felt so unfair.
What on earth had humanity done wrong?
Faced with the cruel reality of having to accept death, Cha Young-min and the other hunters of Busan fought back with desperate, frantic rage.
"Attack! Never retreat!"
"Fight to the death!"
It was pandemonium.
Busan had turned into a living hell.
In a few hours, the people of South Korea would receive the news that the city once known as Busan had fallen.
It was then.
Just as Cha Young-min shrieked as a monster bit into him, the space in the sky distorted, and something appeared.
Could it be...?
His eyes went wide.
There was no mistake.
The figure appearing from the rift was Roman Dmitry.
* * *
Thud.
Roman Dmitry and Park Min-woo touched down on the ground.
Only the two of them had made the journey to Busan.
To maintain the mobility needed to return to Incheon at a moment's notice, Roman Dmitry had intentionally brought only Park Min-woo.
Shriek!
Screeech!
Monsters lunged at them.
They bared their savage fangs at the new humans, but before they could even register what was happening, their heads were severed in an instant.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed in all directions.
Roman Dmitry spotted Cha Young-min.
Drawing his sword, Roman Dmitry shifted his gaze away from Cha Young-min and stepped toward the swarming horde of monsters.
"It is time to fulfill our promise, Park Min-woo."
"Yes, my lord."
"Clear the path."
It was a reckless command.
Yet, Park Min-woo did not hesitate.
Stepping forward, he unleashed an explosive surge of magic power.
"I will obey your command."
The arrival of just two men.
It marked the turning of the tide.