Atla Raid (9)

He had started in a remote stretch of coastline, but there was no way to avoid other Climbers forever.

The deeper he carved his way in, the more of them began to gather.

"This way! Everyone, over here! The path's already wide open!"

"Whoa, no kidding. This is clean."

"Who dug all this out?"

The Busan Climbers who arrived late swung their weapons with desperate urgency along the path Hyun Si-woon had carved. And then—

"Huh?"

A few of them recognized him. Four spirits. And a sword with an impossibly clean cutting edge.

"W-wait! Is that—?"

"Pioneer?!"

"Oh, it's the Pioneer!"

"He's got four spirits, too."

"Ooooh! No wonder this place is carved out so much ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cleaner than everywhere else!"

Shocked Climbers started calling out to him. A few even activated their recording systems. Of course, that was the kind of reaction you only got from people with single-celled brains.

"But wasn't the Pioneer supposed to be on Jeju?"

Normally, that was the question that should have come first.

"Yeah, right?"

"Exactly. Even with time having passed, getting all the way here should be brutal… What's going on? Planes aren't flying anymore. Is he using some kind of teleport?"

"Not like we can rule out a skill like that."

"I don't care—just film it! This is a historic moment! The Pioneer has descended upon Busan!"

Si-woon paid no attention to their fuss. Without the slightest waver, he pressed on with the dismantling work alongside his spirits.

And once again, the server exploded.

At first, no one believed it. By any common sense, it was impossible. From Jeju to Busan—in a world without ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ships or planes—the journey alone would take days.

But the moment the video started playing, every doubt turned to sheer astonishment.

There on the screen, clear as day, was the Pioneer dismantling the shell like a man possessed, accompanied by those familiar four spirits. It was unmistakably the same person from the Jeju footage.

The reactions came instantly.

The comment section descended into pure chaos. People even started floating theories like this:

While wild speculation ran rampant, the Climbers of Busan saw hope. The being who had finished Jeju in two hours had come here. That single fact alone sent morale soaring into the stratosphere.

Si-woon used their cheers as fuel and drove even deeper. It was only a matter of time before the Gravity Core revealed itself.

Thud!

The moment he pierced through the final bedrock layer, he leapt without hesitation and drove his sword down into the massive, writhing heart.

—Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!

The giant turtle's death cry.

And just like before—despite Climbers still filming him—Si-woon vanished like a ghost.

Busan's clear time? Six hours and twenty-one minutes.

Using Moon Spirit Step to put distance behind him in a flash, Si-woon raced back toward Pungjo.

Move fast.

Even with roughly five hours left, Ulsan's situation would not be as favorable as Busan's. If hundreds of Climbers were still around, it might be doable—but alone, it was a dead end. Even just now, it had only been possible because countless Busan Climbers had helped.

—Kkirururu!

As he neared the shore, the beast—already sensing its master's intent—flew to him first.

Taat!

Si-woon's body sprang lightly upward and settled onto Pungjo's back with practiced ease.

"That direction—full speed!"

Kuaaaaang!

He called on Sylph again. The moment she opened a path through the wind, Pungjo shattered the sound barrier and cut across the blue sea. Even in the wind that seemed to carve into his flesh, Si-woon stared hard at the community window floating in the air before him.

Clear reports from other regions began pouring in one after another. Daegu, where Kang Si-a was stationed, had cleared even a little faster than Busan—and the regions with Dae-un and Yeon-ho hyung were fully finished as well.

Which meant? Only Ulsan remained.

Abandoning it had been an option. He didn't take it.

I don't know the exact value of Despair Stones yet.

Ha-wol had called Despair Stones the currency of Rankers. Just as TC was an essential resource in the world of Climbers, Despair Stones would hold even greater worth in the world of Rankers. Ten of them might look like a small number now, but they could become an opportunity cost he would later regret enough to beat the ground over.

The less I know, the more reason to secure them first.

That had been Hyun Si-woon's mindset back when he played the Tower of Despair.

Before long, the silhouette of a ruined city came into view in the distance. And beside it, standing utterly still—the massive turtle of Ulsan. Atla.

Not a single person around.

The scene was bleak. Jeju and Busan had been noisy and thick with fighting spirit; this place was simply deserted.

—Worst-case scenario. Tch.

Ha-wol clicked her tongue. Si-woon nodded without a word. Even with the spirits, dismantling that thing alone? Impossible.

—Not that you can summon Noe-je either, can you?

Exactly.

Si-woon swallowed a bitter smile inwardly. He wanted to call him, but he couldn't. The cooldown on Noe-je's Manifestation was thirty days. He had already used it taking down Moros on the Tower's sixth floor, and the timer was still running.

—What about using the community to gather people again? If you set the framework and a few hundred thousand show up, it would still be worth attempting, no?

Hmm.

That wasn't a bad idea either. If he asked for help under titles like Pioneer or Wandering Merchant, there was a high chance people would flock back.

But that's not my style.

—Then? Do you have another method?

Si-woon reached into his coat and drew something out.

We'll try it our way first.

It was the Party Assembly Horn.

—Oh?

Ha-wol's eyes went wide. She was impressed.

—So that was an option!

The other regions' turtles were all dead now. Calling the members to one place no longer mattered.

—Still, even if your lot gathers, I don't see the situation changing much.

No idea. We push as far as we can for now.

Si-woon said nothing more. He dismounted nearby and approached the shell—and at the same time, sent mail to the members. He would call them within ten minutes; be ready. Suddenly summoning them without warning could put his comrades in awkward situations. Basic consideration.

Taat!

With quick footwork he vaulted onto the shell and blew the horn.

Bwooooooo!

A clear, ringing note rolled across the surroundings. At the same moment, faint particles of light began to gather—

Sssst!

—and the members appeared.

Baek Yeon-ho. Baek Do-hee. Kang Si-a. Hwang Dae-un. Jang Cha-yul.

"…Whoa!"

"Si-woon hyung-nim! Great to see you ladies, too! Long time no see, right?"

"What long time?"

"Wow, this horn really is something. Straight to Ulsan in one step."

Baek Yeon-ho glanced around and let out a dry laugh.

"Damn. It's exactly as hopeless as the community said. How is there not a single person even attempting this?"

"Hyung-nim… I'd have bailed on this one myself."

Hwang Dae-un's blunt honesty earned silent nods from everyone. No matter how much martial arts they had… none of them could output the force of thousands on their own. Later, as high-floor Climbers with higher stats, maybe—but not now. Definitely not now.

"We're short on time. We start immediately."

Shrring!

Si-woon drew the Formless Sword and spoke with absolute firmness.

"I'll punch the first hole. Everyone else focuses on widening it."

At their leader's order, they were just adjusting their grips on their weapons when—

"Wait, Si-woon."

Baek Do-hee. She closed her eyes and began reciting the mantra of the Still Heart Incantation. Her senses spread wide like a forest, probing Atla's vast life force. And then—she caught the exact same current of malevolent energy she had felt in Seoul.

"Come this way. We can break it much more easily here."

Without hesitation, Baek Do-hee ran to one corner of the shell. The moment she knelt and began to pray—

—Hoh.

An intrigued smile touched Ha-wol's lips.

—Already able to wield the power of Purification at this stage… So this method works as well. She's opened a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crack in the reinforcement layered over the shell.

Si-woon could feel it, to some degree. A sensation like black mist lifting just a little.

Thud!

He drove his sword in without hesitation. The resistance was incomparably lighter than before—almost nothing. If the previous shell had been tough rawhide, what he stabbed now was nothing more than a scrap of damp paper. He didn't even need the spirits' work.

"At this level, we can handle it ourselves."

Si-woon nodded. As expected of Baek Do-hee. Raising her as a healer had been worth every investment. She was performing even better than he had hoped, and it left him quietly proud.

"We start now!"

"Okay!"

"No wonder Seoul finished so fast—you could use a move like this, noona?"

The team's firepower erupted.

Kwaaaaang!

Hwang Dae-un's Collapsing Mountain ground the weakened shell like a millstone.

Kwadduduk!

Jang Cha-yul's Flood Dragon Surfacing from the Sea tore free massive fragments.

Pipiping!

Kang Si-a's arrows endlessly worked into the cracks, widening the hole, while Baek Yeon-ho used Diamond Fist ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to smash falling shell shards like boulders and secure the team's safety.

Si-woon, too, wielded his sword while deploying the spirits. The six of them breathed as one. Each role meshed with the next like the teeth of a gear.

Five hours? Absolute nonsense.

Not even a full hour had passed when the shell was fully stripped away and the Gravity Core at last revealed itself.

"Hah."

Si-woon smiled in satisfaction. There was no need to leap in.

Piiing!

The arrow Kang Si-a loosed pierced the exact center of the core.

—Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

That colossal Atla—brought down by a single Climber party.

And in that very moment, a single message appeared simultaneously before the eyes of every Climber on the Korean server.

It was contribution ranking time.