The Tyrant of the Forest
The Tyrant of the Forest.
That was the Ogre’s infamous title.
Despite being larger than a troll, they possessed the agility to swing through trees like monkeys. The power bursting from their densely compressed muscles could shatter boulders the size of houses. A normal player in the fifties floor range would struggle to face even one of them in single combat. It was no wonder the Hwarang Guild had been struggling to conquer the Ogre Fortress.
“What the hell are we even watching right now?”
One of the Hwarang Guild members muttered in disbelief.
Ever since the Tower of Babel appeared, the Hwarang Guild had never once lost its position at the top. Though they were called one of Korea’s Big Three, no one disputed that Hwarang stood above the other two. Their unshakable pride…
“Kuaaaaargh!”
“Shut up. You’re too loud.”
BOOM!
That pride began to crack in the face of a single man’s overwhelming might.
A green figure flew backward, spraying blue blood like a fountain. The Ogre that Hwarang had needed coordinated teamwork to hunt was sent rolling helplessly across the ground after taking a single blow from Jinho’s fist.
When Jinho had charged straight at the pack of Ogres, they had thought him reckless. They had been wrong.
Against twenty Ogres at once, Jinho made it painfully clear who the real prey was.
Phoenix Kick
Every kick summoned a raging storm. Every punch made the air itself tremble.
Simply manifesting internal energy at will—something that normally required enlightenment—wasn’t enough for him. He went further.
Solar Explosion
Even in the middle of close-quarters combat with Ogres, he unleashed magic. The blinding flash of light was intense enough to sear the eyes.
“Oh my god, the flame magic is melting the Ogre’s skin and muscle!”
“That power is on par with Flame Hell.”
“He’s using magic while fighting in melee range? That’s impossible.”
The Hwarang Guild members couldn’t hide their shock.
Magic was an art that twisted external mana according to the caster’s will to create supernatural phenomena. Its weakness was that it became difficult to use in rapidly changing environments. The fact that there were no famous magic swordsmen or magic brawlers besides Russia’s Sergei was proof enough of that limitation.
Jinho shattered that common sense without effort.
Multi-casting. And the Ruler of Magic. These were abilities he had gained recently, but the Hwarang members had no way of knowing that.
His feats didn’t stop at magic.
A massive stone dragon resembling the Eastern 'dragon' burst from the ground and tore into the Ogres.
A relentless parade of techniques poured out one after another.
How can one person wield so many different arts?
Oh Jangwoo kept his mouth clamped shut. The moment he opened it, he feared a scream might escape. Though he maintained his silence with every ounce of willpower, he couldn’t shake the sense of inferiority that had taken root in his heart.
If it were him—if Korea’s former number one ranker, Oh Jangwoo, used every ounce of his power—he could probably handle twenty Ogres alone. But only to the extent of ‘handling’ them. Ogres were monsters that would demand he be prepared to lose an arm or a leg in the process.
Jinho, however, was toying with such formidable foes as if they were nothing more than playthings.
The despair I felt back then was nothing compared to this.
Oh Jangwoo remembered the Orcs he had faced during his Diamond promotion match. The humiliating moment he had been forced to his knees before their primitive yet ferocious strength. Jinho was far stronger than those Orcs had been.
I still cannot accept defeat.
Yes. In terms of pure individual strength, Oh Jangwoo had been completely outclassed. But when looking at their ‘organizations’ as a whole, Yeokcheon still had a long way to go. Hwarang Guild’s unity was a golden tower built over ten years. Team Mugeuk and Team Yellow Storm had been operating with their own coordination for so long that they would mix like oil and water. The people Jinho had recruited were still stuck in Platinum rank.
We need to show more of our capabilities.
To maintain their position as one of Korea’s top three guilds, Hwarang had to hold their ground in this contest of momentum against Yeokcheon. The power Jinho displayed in this battle had already far surpassed his rank. However, it wasn’t to the point where fifty elite Hwarang members working in perfect coordination couldn’t defeat him.
If we approach this by offering help with guild management instead…
Oh Jangwoo’s thoughts were cut short.
The moment the tenth Ogre’s entire torso evaporated, Jinho suddenly turned and walked back toward the group. Not a single strand of his hair was out of place. It was impossible to believe he had just finished an intense battle.
“Giving up already?”
“Of course not. I should give our guild members a chance too.”
Taking Jinho’s words as their signal, the Yeokcheon Guild members stepped forward.
“Master, please give me as many chances like this as you want.”
“I’ll show you what I just learned, old man!”
They were brimming with confidence.
Meanwhile, the members of Team Mugeuk and Team Yellow Storm simply watched with their arms crossed.
“Kuaaaaaargh!”
Enraged by the death of their comrades, the remaining Ogres let out furious roars and charged once more.
Mechanic Control
Call Mechanic - Left Arm of the Colossus
CLANG!
A steel fist shot out from the magic circle floating in the air. One of the charging Ogres was struck by the Titan’s punch and sent flying backward even faster than it had charged.
“Enrique! Follow the plan!”
“S-sorry, sis.”
At Lee Jiyoung’s sharp voice, Enrique immediately tucked his tail between his legs.
The ‘plan’ she referred to was the effect of Kim Youngsoo’s command ability.
⊳ Morale has greatly increased
⊳ Pain resistance has been applied
⊳ White Commander is leading. Morale has risen dramatically
Kim Youngsoo unfurled a worn flag. The white cloth fluttered according to the flow of the wind. It looked crude at first glance, but the moment the mysterious power within the flag enveloped the guild members, its true worth was revealed.
⊳ Wielding the Sacred Banner
⊳ All stats of those under command increased by 30%
⊳ Command efficiency increased by 20%
It was a holy relic invested entirely into the command tree. It offered no personal combat ability, but for Kim Youngsoo, it was the ultimate artifact.
Ping Lei’s body multiplied into dozens of copies. The Heavenly Staff of the Drunken Monk—Lu Zhishen’s weapon from the legendary Water Margin, a constellation beloved by the Chinese. A rare holy relic specialized in both martial arts and Seon magic.
The Seon energy and internal power amplified more than twofold flowed through the staff and merged. When dozens of Ping Lei thrust out the Heavenly Staff of the Drunken Monk at once—
KWAAAAAANG!
A gale exploded outward, smashing the charging Ogres away.
“Tsk, I wanted to show my true power properly,” Enrique grumbled.
Mechanic Control
Call Mechanic - Kimbaya Relic
Synchronization
Volley Fire
Dozens of small relics shaped like fighter jets appeared. These so-called ‘out-of-place artifacts’ multiplied through a different principle than cloning. By releasing and amplifying the power dwelling within the relics, duplication became possible.
“Go!”
Dozens of plane-shaped relics simultaneously spewed out pink light. Laser bombardment. The principle was similar to when Enrique had previously synchronized with firearms, but the destructive power was on an entirely different level. It was enough to scorch the skin of Ogres, who possessed strong innate magic resistance.
Some might scoff and ask if that was all. But when dozens of those mana lasers poured down every second, the story changed completely.
“Kuaaaaaargh!”
An Ogre that had broken through the barrage glared at the Yeokcheon Guild members with murderous eyes, baring its yellow teeth. But the moment Lee Jiyoung, who had timed her entrance perfectly, slammed her two Vibration Barriers together—
CRAAAAASH!
It was sent flying back by the repulsive force. The shockwave was specialized in pushing targets away rather than killing them—an alternate application of the Vibration Barrier.
The hunting speed didn’t lose out to Hwarang’s coordinated attacks. It didn’t take long for the remaining Ogres to be subdued.
At this rate, we’ll lose control of the raid.
Oh Jangwoo’s expression grew darker by the second.
“Let’s call it here for today.”
Half a day after the raid began, Oh Jangwoo raised his hand to signal a stop.
“It’s quite vast. I didn’t expect we wouldn’t even catch a glimpse of the Ogre Fortress.”
All they had seen were dense forests and packs of Ogres moving in groups. Because the gate’s area was so large, they hadn’t even approached the fortress itself.
The Hwarang guys managed to conquer a place like this in my previous life. Impressive.
Ogres originally didn’t move in groups. The fact that they were moving in units of ten or twenty was due to the gate’s influence.
“We’ve reduced their numbers quite a bit. We should be able to attack the fortress tomorrow.”
I could have kept going all day. My companions didn’t look particularly tired either.
“Understood.”
I saw no reason to reject Oh Jangwoo’s instruction. What mattered was figuring out what Hwarang was really after. If they had simply wanted to establish a hierarchy between guilds, we would finish the gate raid without incident. But if they had other intentions…
Nyx’s voice pierced precisely into my thoughts, as if she had read my mind. I’m pretty confident in controlling my killing intent, yet she still offers such kind advice.
After leaving the gate, we rested at a nearby pension.
“No, at this timing you should use this Seon technique instead of that one!”
“Hmph. How foolish, woman. This is the best way to break the opponent’s formation. Even the commander has no objections, does he?”
“Time your attacks better. Both of you are half a beat slow.”
“Karla! Scold him for me!”
The somewhat heated exchange of opinions continued as the group reviewed the battle they had fought for half a day. Their expressions were intense, but it was fine. This was simply how they showed the camaraderie that had built up between them…
“Hey! Ping Lei! Come out here!”
“Very well. Let us settle this once and for all.”
They didn’t seem to be holding back at all.
Team Yellow Storm and Team Mugeuk were also busy analyzing the performance of the other members.
“At this level, they wouldn’t lose to our team.”
“I heard Lee Jiyoung only awakened two years ago? That’s incredible.”
“The Guild Master is the same.”
“Come on, we have to make an exception for Guild Master Jinho.”
The guild members chattered noisily. They were still divided into three groups, but after the DMZ raid, the walls between them had noticeably thinned.
“We still have a long way to go,” I replied.
Team Mugeuk and Team Yellow Storm were the nation’s top two Tower of Babel raid teams. For now they revolved around the two rankers Shin Junseok and Hong Yunsu, but fully assimilating them into Yeokcheon would require a few more catalysts. Once we reached Diamond rank—once we started clearing the sixties floors together—things would surely change.
I smiled as I watched the guild members gradually tearing down the walls between them.
The next day.
When we arrived at the [Ogre Fortress] gate, the Hwarang Guild was already waiting for us.
“I can see that.”
One hundred people.
Twice as many Hwarang Guild members as yesterday had come to greet us.