Targrion's Branch
The interior of the Demilitarized Zone had already settled into an ecosystem completely different from its original state.
Large native animals like roe deer and wild boars had long since become prey for the monsters that poured out of the gates.
Only small creatures such as squirrels and sparrows barely clung to survival.
In their place, however, something far more unpleasant now thrived.
“Guoooh!!”
“Noisy little troll brat.”
The moment I released the condensed inner energy, a massive hole tore open in the troll’s chest.
Its heart shattered with a single strike.
Even a troll, famous for its regenerative powers, could not recover from the destruction of its heart or brain.
I stretched out my hand toward the monster as it collapsed without even a final scream.
“Mr. Yu, that again?”
“Why not? You agreed to follow my orders during this operation.”
“It’s not that. Of all things, it’s a troll corpse.”
Ellen clicked her tongue loudly, unable to hide her disappointment.
Troll blood.
An essential ingredient for crafting mid-grade or higher recovery potions.
Back when the Tower of Babel had only just revealed itself to the world, material supply was impossible. You had to pay an enormous amount of CP just to buy one.
Even now, troll blood remained a high-priced trading material.
“If I drain the blood, my ability won’t activate.”
The essence dwelling within the corpse.
If I could selectively slice out only the parts I wanted before Devouring them, no one would have called my power ‘the ability to turn gold into shit.’
“The Yeokcheon Guild really is full of people with strange unique abilities.”
Well. Incredible is essentially an ability only Ellen possesses anyway.
Hearing that gave me a strange feeling.
Ultra Regeneration
Grade: ★★★
Type: Active
Consumes mana to regenerate wounds. All parts except the brain and heart can be restored.
The troll’s regeneration ability had been added.
Until now I had been using Mutation as a makeshift substitute.
Because it came with side effects, I had to constantly suppress my energy every time I used it to prevent strange mutations from occurring.
“I can move a little more aggressively now.”
“How about the goddess helps me a little?”
“This humble mortal would never dare utter such words.”
The red glow shimmering in Nyx’s eyes grew deeper.
Stare all you want. You’re only going to strain your own eyes.
The deeper we moved into the DMZ, the higher the frequency of monster encounters became.
The ones that had claimed this area were high orcs and trolls.
The moment they spotted us they charged, frothing at the mouth.
The violent storm ripped the high orcs and trolls apart.
Green blood droplets danced within the wind.
Hong Yunsu wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
“High orcs and trolls cooperating makes things rather troublesome.”
“What do you think, senior?”
“I don’t really have any particular thoughts…”
“He’s the type who only charges straight ahead. Asking for his opinion is pointless.”
“You—what exactly do you mean by that!”
While Shin Junseok and Hong Yunsu were bickering, Ellen approached after releasing her transformation.
“I agree with that assessment. Monsters from other gates don’t cooperate like this.”
America’s landmass is far larger than Korea’s.
The gates that opened everywhere right after the First Great Erosion.
With a smaller population relative to its territory, they couldn’t close every single gate.
They had suffered greatly from consecutive gate breaks caused by gates that reached their limit, which gave her such extensive knowledge of these situations.
“Junior, what do you intend to do?”
“We advance. Since a variable has appeared, it’s best to investigate it thoroughly.”
That’s right. We came here specifically to eliminate that ‘variable’ in advance. There was no way we could retreat now.
While advancing with the map we received from the search team as our guide, we discovered a black mage standing among the high orcs and trolls.
[Branch of Targrion]
An unpleasant odor emanated from that thing.
Nyx furrowed her brow.
“Targrion is one of Klyphoth’s factions. Beings that defy the natural order.”
To think I would encounter the mastermind behind the massive gate break incident that inflicted enormous damage on Korea in my previous life like this.
How fucking nice to see you, you bastards.
Seeing the cause of my sudden decision to enter the DMZ right before my eyes made rage slowly rise within me.
“Mr. Yu, wasn’t Klyphoth part of the tower’s setting?”
“It’s a little different. Those bastards aren’t copies created by the tower like high orcs or trolls.”
“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
“I receive quite a lot of love from the Constellations, you see.”
Klyphoth—more precisely, the Tree of Klyphoth.
It was the inverted concept of the Tree of Sephirot that symbolized the world, and the tree that was the imaginary space itself.
An organization that sought to turn the imaginary space—akin to the shadow of each dimension—into the ‘world’ itself, overturn every concept, and create their own paradise.
That was Klyphoth’s founding ideology.
Hong Yunsu scratched his head at my explanation.
“This is completely new to me.”
The true nature of Klyphoth that even rankers had never heard of.
It made sense.
Klyphoth was not a force centered around the Constellations.
The ones they had allied with were the Old Gods, who could exert influence beyond the authority granted by the tower.
Damn bastards.
I swallowed the curse inwardly.
The reason a Klyphoth faction had appeared from the gate was due to an agreement with the Old Gods.
The Branch of Targrion, protected by the monsters, planted his staff into the ground and began chanting an unknown spell.
An eerie energy spread across the earth.
A spell that transformed real space into imaginary world.
A region that experienced a gate break would return to normal after a few months, but this spell would disturb the ley lines for at least several years.
“Were you the ones who caused this disturbance?”
The moment the Branch of Targrion noticed our group approaching, he lifted his staff.
“If so, what of it?”
“We cannot allow those who interfere with the great work of Klyphoth to leave alive.”
The Branch of Targrion swung his staff violently.
The obsidian attached to its tip scattered a wicked light.
A dark-red current wrapped around the bodies of the high orcs and trolls, reinforcing their flesh.
“Tear them limb from limb.”
Thud! Thud!
The trolls and high orcs advanced with low growls.
The tail of the disaster we had revealed after several hours.
The battle to prevent the tragedy of the future was only now beginning.
The trolls’ steps were lighter than usual.
Thomas Miller, who had accompanied us on this DMZ operation, quickly analyzed the monsters’ condition.
“It appears to be the effect of that black current.”
“I thought as much.”
There were twenty trolls.
Over a hundred high orcs.
Monsters strengthened by the frenzy spell cast by the Branch of Targrion.
Not a force we could take lightly.
“From this point forward, I will unify the chain of command.”
“Good. Mr. Kim, was it? I hope your skills live up to what I’ve heard.”
Ellen glanced at Kim Youngsoo.
Gulp.
Brother Youngsoo’s Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably.
Before we entered the DMZ, I had already told him that in an emergency I would hand over all command authority to him.
The members of Team Mugeuk and Team Yellow Storm who had experienced Brother Youngsoo’s abilities raised no strong objections.
However, the Golden Circle team members openly displayed their displeasure.
Even Ellen, who always accommodated my convenience, had no choice but to express difficulty with this particular matter.
It couldn’t be helped. In the 2020s, the importance of command ability was not yet widely recognized.
“Brother, just do it the way you always have.”
“Understood, Guild Master.”
With a gaze full of determination, Brother Youngsoo began to command.
Legion Command effect: Morale has risen.
Legion Command effect: Pain resistance applied.
Centurion is commanding. Morale has risen dramatically.
The moment his command ability activated, a flood of buffs poured out.
Compared to the effects of supporter-class players, they were modest, but these buffs consumed no mana and had excellent duration. They were always welcome.
“Wow.”
Even the Golden Circle team members who had shown displeasure let out gasps of admiration.
「Golden Circle team, please take the lead.」
Brother Youngsoo’s voice reached them by overcoming distance.
Though they wore reluctant expressions, the Golden Circle members moved according to his instructions.
They didn’t know it yet, but the moment they entered his command structure, even their resistance began to fade.
They would soon realize just how powerful Legion Command truly was.
While the Golden Circle team that charged forward drew the monsters’ aggro, a perfectly timed Vibration Barrier unfolded between the high orcs and trolls.
Even if the two species matched their pace, their different body types inevitably created gaps.
Kim Youngsoo, who had been observing the movements of the high orcs and trolls under Legion Command, issued the order at the perfect moment.
Lee Jiyoung’s barrier split the enemy horde in two.
「Yellow Storm, take the enemy’s rear.」
「Team Mugeuk, please join with Golden Circle.」
「While the monsters’ feet are bound, the main force must target that black mage.」
The main force Brother Youngsoo referred to were the guild members I had personally recruited one by one.
Thanks to the guild members moving in perfect order, the monsters’ feet were completely tied down.
The path leading to the Branch of Targrion opened wide.
Unholy Grasp
Scream Filled with Grief
Pain Amplification
All sorts of curses rained down on the main force, but we ignored them.
The Branch of Targrion faction was not as combat-capable as the one from Gaagshebla.
They excelled at handling curses, but that was all.
Because we were under Brother Youngsoo’s command, the effect of mental debuffs was greatly reduced.
The summoned creatures from the imaginary space emerged, but they were not enough to stop our group.
“This is impossible!”
“No, it isn’t.”
The moment I felled the horrified Branch of Targrion with a single strike, the pitch-black current enveloping the high orcs and trolls vanished as well.
The monsters, their vitality drained as if they had aged decades in an instant.
Finishing off monsters suffering from the aftereffects of buffs was not difficult.
“Master, the ground is being purified!”
Lee Jiyoung pointed at the earth.
The ground where the Branch of Targrion had performed his sorcery was slowly regaining its original color.
However.
The purified area was only a tiny fraction.
“Looks like there are more of them.”
I naturally released information from my previous life.
Klyphoth’s plan to corrupt the entire DMZ.
Now was the perfect time to uproot the entire scheme.