Special Strike Force
Jang Hwa-young contacted the branch director first and discussed the situation. Kang-jun's proposal for a special strike team came up as well. It was not a conversation that could be wrapped up quickly, and she stayed on the phone for quite some time.
When the long call finally ended, Jang Hwa-young strode back toward Team 1 from where she had stepped aside. The murmured chatter among the team members cut off at once. Every eye locked onto her face as she drew close again.
She crouched down and addressed the teammates who were looking up at her like baby birds.
"We've decided to reorganize the teams. …The other teams are all gathering here too, so stay put and don't make a scene."
With that, she beckoned Kang-jun and Jack with a glance. The two of them approached. Rounding the corner of the building, the three of them stood face to face.
"We've decided to try the operation Kang-jun suggested. Of course, we reached an agreement with the 55th Branch as well. Looks like they've finally realized how serious this situation is."
Kang-jun asked,
"So the 55th Branch is gathering here too?"
"No. Separately. We've split the routes into two. The 55th Branch will hit from their side, and our 45th Branch from here."
That judgment was sound. Splitting into two approaches looked better than funneling everyone through a single point. Concentrating more force than necessary in one place was a waste of both manpower and time.
"The strike team will be roughly ten people. Once all the teams are here, we'll select by position."
The two men listening gave small nods. Jang Hwa-young shifted her gaze from Kang-jun to Jack. Her tone grew more formal.
"When I leave, you'll take temporary command of the team."
"I'll do my best."
"Good."
The three of them returned to where the rest of the team was waiting. Something in the air had grown heavy. Everyone seemed to feel it on their skin — that something serious was about to unfold.
Lexy grabbed Kang-jun the moment he came back.
"What? What's going on?"
"Nothing much. Just reorganizing the teams again."
"Then what about you?"
"I'm out."
"Whyyy?"
At the word that he was leaving, Lexy's eyes went round. Instead of answering, Kang-jun raised an index finger and tapped his lips. The gesture meant it was hard to explain. No matter how dense she was, even she couldn't miss a signal like that.
Lexy's face fell a little.
"I wanted to stay with you longer, though."
"Call me when the job's done. …Around the weekend?"
"Oh, so we're meeting?"
"If you want."
"Yesss!"
"But focus on the work for now. Don't start thinking about playing around. Screw up and your head comes off, got it?"
"Don't worry!"
Hehe. Lexy grinned, thoroughly pleased — with no idea that her real agenda was filling a certain container.
1:22 p.m. All eight teams that had been contacted were gathered in one place. The team leaders lined up their members and crowded over to where Jang Hwa-young stood. They had roughly heard about the strike team, but they needed the details from her directly.
"Exactly what it sounds like — a special strike team. We form a unit, hit the enemy lines hard and fast, and kill the leader. …Nesting this rapid and this widespread means there's definitely a head giving the orders."
Everyone agreed with Jang Hwa-young's assessment. The monsters had been moving with an unbelievable degree of coordination. That was impossible without a command structure.
Carlos, the A-class hero leading Team 3, spoke up. He was built like a mountain — pure guard material.
"Is the 55th Branch gathering too?"
"No. They're forming their own strike team and hitting from a different route. …From here on, it's a race against time. The enemy is expanding even as we speak. There's no room to sit around assembling."
This time Ryusuke, the A-class hero leading Team 2, opened his mouth.
"So who all is going?"
"We decide that now. Selection by position."
And so the 45th Branch special strike team began to take shape — entirely under Jang Hwa-young's authority.
Nine members total. Two guards, four dealers, two healers, one buffer.
"Guards: Carlos and Yan."
Two guards. Carlos, A-class Team 3 leader. Yan, A-class Team 4 leader.
"Dealers: me, Lee Kang-jun, Ryusuke, John."
Four dealers. Jang Hwa-young, S-class Team 1 leader. Lee Kang-jun, D-class from Team 1. Ryusuke, A-class Team 2 leader. John, B-class Team 6 leader.
"Healers: Wang Zhou, Emily."
Two healers. Wang Zhou, A-class Team 5 leader. Emily, B-class Team 7 leader.
"Buffer: Enduba."
One buffer. Enduba, B-class Team 8 leader.
Naturally, someone raised doubts about the name Lee Kang-jun among the dealers. That someone was Ryusuke, Team 2's leader.
"Why is that guy going instead of Jack?"
Of course it seemed strange for a D-class to be included on a strike team like this. Everyone had heard the rumors that the sword-wielding rookie was pretty skilled, but they didn't think he was at the level for a mission like this. Fair enough — he was D-class, and he looked young enough to still be a kid.
That was when Jack, who had been listening quietly, cut in.
"He's far stronger than I am. I'm the one who should sit this out."
"…This kid?"
Jang Hwa-young delivered the finishing blow herself.
"I'll vouch for Lee Kang-jun's skill. That enough?"
An S-class hero's personal guarantee. At that point, the verification was as good as complete. Everyone looked curious about just how good Lee Kang-jun really was. Some guessed he might be a product of a top-ten labyrinth team. That would make sense, at least.
In any case, the nine-member strike team was complete. The leader was, of course, Jang Hwa-young.
The remaining heroes were divided into four teams and tasked with containing the expansion as much as possible. That was the best they could do.
"I'm counting on you, Jack."
"Don't worry about things here."
Jack tapped his fist lightly against his chest a couple of times, as if to say leave it to him.
And so the nine strike team members moved out. Jang Hwa-young's orders as they pushed toward the center were simple.
— Don't engage everything. Kill only what blocks our path. Our target is the enemy commander's head.
Still, every one of them was at least B-class or higher, so their average level comfortably exceeded 200. A few small fry here and there were easy pickings. As a result, their advance toward the center was extremely fast.
The Nesting grew worse the deeper they went. The monsters swelled from dozens to hundreds. It was a monster den in every sense of the word. Hard to believe that just two days ago, this had been the middle of a living city.
"This fucking…!"
It was devastating. In a mere two days, the place had become unlivable. Even if they killed every last one of them, purifying it would take months.
The monsters charged the intruders indiscriminately. In truth, it was closer to a meat-shield defense. The strike team cut through them without mercy, slaughtering them like personal enemies.
…Something's coming.
Kang-jun sensed a massive mana signature approaching. It was in a completely different league from these small fry. Estimated level 270 or higher. If the ones they'd been fighting were worker ants, what was coming now was soldier-ant class.
The creatures that slowly revealed themselves from behind a building were three or four times larger than the small fry. And there were two of them.
The buffer, who until now had been trailing along without expending any effort, immediately began drawing mana markers on the ground the moment he saw them.
Kang-jun felt his body lighten dramatically. Damn, that felt good. It only worked inside the markers, of course, but having it was a hundred times better than not.
Then, suddenly, Jang Hwa-young's body shot forward.
The monsters stomped the ground as they closed in. At the same time, she sprinted ahead and swept her sword in a great diagonal arc — from lower left to upper right. Describing it took longer than the actual motion; from start to finish, it happened in the blink of an eye. The moment she moved, one of the monsters was already toppling with its torso cleaved clean through.
And the way she casually raked her fingers through the hair stuck to her cheek was thoroughly impressive.
A thought rose unbidden: That's my secret friend, all right. That clean swordsmanship was hard to find even in the 2nd Dungeon.
The remaining one crumbled under the concentrated assault of the strike team in moments. The buff's influence played a part. But Jang Hwa-young didn't want to waste buff mana here.
"Save the buffs. We'll need them for something more important."
"Yes, ma'am."
Enduba, the large Black man, nodded at Jang Hwa-young's words. And so the buffer spent more time hanging back, twiddling his thumbs.
4:27 p.m.
They had advanced for nearly three hours, cutting down enemies the whole way. Jang Hwa-young flicked her sweat-damp hair to the side and checked her phone screen. The center, where the mana pulse had originated, was no longer far.
The strike team cleared the surrounding area once, then sat down for a brief rest. Everyone pulled water bottles from their packs and poured them down their throats. Kang-jun, thirsty himself, took a sip of water and crunched through an energy bar.
By now, none of the team members doubted Kang-jun's skill anymore. If anything, they were relying on him for a great deal. Jang Hwa-young and Lee Kang-jun, the physical-type dealers, had put on a dazzling performance — enough to make the magic-type dealers feel embarrassed.
They were only now truly understanding, deep in their bones, just how comfortable it was when physical dealers held the front line rock-solid.
"I was wrong to doubt you earlier. Figured you were D-class and got the wrong idea."
Ryusuke, formerly Team 2's leader, said as much while giving the seated Kang-jun a clap on the shoulder. Kang-jun grinned.
"Easy mistake to make. A greenhorn D-class getting slotted into this?"
Kheheh. The team members who heard that chuckled quietly.
Once they'd caught their breath, Jang Hwa-young clapped her hands sharply.
"All right. Let's move again."
The team members heaved themselves up and dusted off their dirt-caked backsides. Fuck, why was the weather so nice today? Under the blazing sun and the stifling heat, they were already soaked through with sweat.
"When we get back, is there any chance of a special bonus or something?"
Carlos, ever the smooth talker, asked the leader with a deep, rumbling laugh.
"I'll lean on the branch director about it."
Jang Hwa-young fired back just as freely. Nice. Carlos clapped his palms together as if to say it was about time he tasted some real money.
"It's a special mission, so you'll get compensatory leave too. Hang in there, everyone."
"Leave? Not missing that."
Morale surged. Bonus pay and leave — that was worth running themselves ragged for.
The strike team reformed their formation and moved out. They pressed forward, killing the endless waves of monsters, until they soon witnessed a scene that stopped them cold.
"Fuck, this is…"
Even those who had built up some resistance to Nesting had their mouths fall open. The center was pure ruin. A massive mound of earth had thrust up from below, shoving buildings and everything else aside into a tangled, toppled mess. Over that wreckage, mucus and various tendrils were tangled in a chaotic sprawl.
It rivaled the horrific incident that had struck the 35th District years ago. The 50th District looked destined for the same fate.
The risen earth mound had several holes in it. They appeared to be entrances leading into the monsters' nest. Everyone exchanged glances, confirming what they had already guessed.
"We go in immediately."
Jang Hwa-young pointed at an entrance with her finger and gave the order. The strike team members cracked their necks and wrists, steeling their resolve.
Looking at that nightmarish scene, a raw sense of humanity spontaneously took root in the team members. Anger rose ahead of fear.
"Those fucking bug bastards. I'm going to kill every last one of them, fuck."
Hot-blooded John muttered that through clenched teeth. Everyone felt much the same.
The strike team moved swiftly toward the entrance. Monsters tried to block the intruders, but they had no chance of withstanding attacks now loaded with rage. The strike team smashed through like a tidal wave.
While the other team members were filled with fury, Kang-jun was feeling the opposite — pure elation. A long-missed sense of satisfaction.
This is fucking perfect. What would I have done if I hadn't come?
Kang-jun had been aiming for a special promotion, but he had reaped unexpected gains.
The result of killing over a hundred monsters above level 200 in three hours.
Intelligence has increased by 1.
Stamina has increased by 1.
Speed has increased by 1.
Strength has increased by 1.
The explosive level-up was still ongoing.