The Breached Glass Wall
Thud-!
The troll's severed head and one leg sliced off by Hanbit tumbled to the ground. The creature, unable to hold its form, collapsed in a heap.
"That golden bracelet isn't just for show, huh."
Jinook shook the blood from his blade and grumbled curtly. It was the tone of someone forced to acknowledge an opponent.
Tap- He landed lightly on the ground and scanned the surroundings.
"So, what the hell is this? Why'd the monsters come swarming like that?"
"It's the monster anomaly surfacing. There were signs, right?"
"What signs? You won't find a damn thing like that even digging through all of Ifrit's history."
Jinook scowled in annoyance. He wasn't entirely wrong. Predicting a wave through ordinary scouting would have been damn near impossible.
But this guy was the type to sit back and watch a second wave even after this mess. Maybe he's just a bit slow on the uptake.
"Anyway, we'll handle things from here, so butt out, outsider. I'll make sure you get paid for what you've done so far."
"Yeah, I don't think so."
"What? You banking on that bracelet again...?"
Boom-!
Suddenly, a massive roar erupted behind Jinook. He whipped around to see the troll corpse he'd just felled.
"...What the hell?"
Jinook couldn't believe his eyes. The headless beast had jammed both fists into the city wall. A fainted soldier lay slumped at its feet.
Thud-! Boom-!
"You crazy bastard!"
Kicking off, Jinook rushed toward it. Slash-! He swung his sword, severing both arms. But even like that, the troll kept pounding the wall.
Whoosh-! Jinook yanked the soldier free and retreated swiftly.
Bang-! Boom-!
The impacts kept coming. By sheer coincidence, there was already a crack there from a soldier's collision. And on top of that...
Rumble-!
More berserk trolls were swarming in.
"Tch."
Jinook clicked his tongue and made his call. Quick extermination. That was the only option.
Swoosh-! Slash-!
He kicked off again, rapidly lopping off heads and limbs. But the situation didn't improve.
Sensing danger on instinct, he bellowed.
"Mages! All of you, get over here!"
"But sir, we still have areas to clear!"
"Shut up and come! Burn 'em or whatever, just do it!"
His orders poured out amid sword swings. Hanbit, who had been cutting down monsters the same way, paused.
Crack-
A sound no one wanted to hear came from the wall.
"Shit..."
Jinook, splattered in monster blood, sensed the anomaly too.
Snap- Crack-
The glass walls of Ifrit were pieced together with special materials and techniques. Cracks like that were more than enough to bring down an entire section.
Snap-!
The sound rang sharply in their ears. Then the troll on the wall struck once more.
Clang-!
Finally, one pillar of the wall shattered and crumbled.
"It, it's broken!"
"Get out of there!"
The panicked subjugation team fled the wall in a hurry. Countless shards of glass rained down right after.
Rumble-!
The fully collapsed section piled up like a hill. The shattered glass was nothing but footing now.
"Jinook hyungnim! What do we do about this...?"
The flustered team turned to their guild master. But he was the most shocked of all.
"Everyone, get out."
Hanbit stepped forward at just the right moment. He gripped his bluish sword, flames swirling fiercely in a gale around it.
Tap-!
Kicking off, Hanbit leaped high. Thrusting from the ground would affect the inside of the breached wall. The optimal angle was...
Now.
Swoosh-!
Adjusting in midair, he swung. A massive wind blade followed the arc. Built up over time, its power was immense.
Slash-! Rumble-!
The monsters hit dead-on split and crushed, dying simultaneously. One strike. That was all it took to clear the ones slipping through the wall's gap.
-Insane. lol
-This can't be real?
-Same level as me ;;
-From the monsters' POV, this is bullshit.
[Goblin donated 1,000 won.]
[Developer. Balance patch urgently needed.]
"W-what the hell was that?"
"What did he just do?"
"He swung his sword... and it turned into that?"
The subjugation team gaped in shock at the massacre. Even the stunned Jinook had his eyes wide open.
Fwoosh-!
The blazing flames still burned hot. Hanbit landed and kicked off toward an area without subjugators.
Whoosh-!
A massive flame bloom swept through a cluster of monsters entirely. He shook off his sword lightly and said to the dazed team,
"What're you standing around for? Let's clean up the rest."
***
The ongoing wave cleanup ended without much trouble. Jinook and the others snapped out of it and performed admirably. The buffs on the trolls had worn off too.
Slash-!
Jinook beheaded the last goblin but didn't move from the spot. His sword dangling toward the ground mirrored his mood.
It collapsed clean.
Once things settled, all eyes turned to the ruined wall. Ifrit had never faced a crisis like this. Their supposedly impregnable defense breached for the first time—it was only natural.
Well, first step went well.
Hanbit's goal was to instill real urgency. The kind from unprecedented damage to the city. Targeting the wall had yielded satisfying results.
"Hey!"
Then, an angry shout echoed from afar. Turning, Hanbit saw Jinook storming over, fuming.
"What?"
"You know something, don't you? Spill it!"
Jinook yelled, sword still limp, his face full of anxiety. It wasn't genuine blame—just a need to vent at someone.
His skills are solid, at least.
Jinook was only twenty, with proven strength and growth potential. But that talent had made him arrogant and spoiled. The silver lining: unlike Mayor Firnen, her little brother had room to reform.
To make that happen, he needed failure, limits, and harsh reality hammered into him.
"Know what? I got screwed by monsters too."
"Bullshit! And you stayed that calm? A D-rank adventurer?"
Jinook brought up his adventurer rank, like he'd done some digging. But it was a poor measure for Hanbit, whose activity was low.
"You can't judge by rank alone. That golden bracelet isn't ordinary, right?"
"Probably some political bullshit! Whoever's backing you, it won't fly!"
"Instead of whining, think about the next wave. Could be worse than this."
"What? That's ridiculous..."
"What happened here?"
The argument was heating up when a voice came from the breached wall.
"...Noona."
Jinook turned and spotted Mayor Firnen. His head drooped instantly.
Drip-
Firnen sighed and stepped out from beyond the wall, looking uncomfortable. Her aides trailed her, eyes wide, glancing around.
"I heard, but it seems you helped with the raid. As mayor, I thank you."
She stopped before Hanbit, adjusting her collar. It was perfunctory courtesy, nothing more.
"Just coincidence. I was chatting with the dwarves in their village at the time."
"...The village doesn't look intact. Everyone dead?"
"No lives lost. Rebuilding the village will be tough, though."
"I see."
Her response held zero emotion. She treated it like an annoying burden. She hadn't even glanced north toward the dwarf village once.
"More importantly, I'd like details on the situation. How did the wall break?"
"...I'll explain, noona."
Cowed by her sharp gaze, Jinook spoke up hesitantly. Slow but accurate, he recounted events.
"A troll? And that broke the wall?"
"Not a normal one! Tougher and stronger than undead!"
"A troll is a troll. Disappointing that our guild master struggled."
"...Sorry."
The exchange was cold, even for family. Pure hierarchy.
"So, Black Dragon—you were the first to spot it?"
"Yeah. Though 'spot' is generous—they burst out across the whole forest at once."
"...I see."
She nodded and looked back at the wall. Watching, Hanbit chimed in casually.
"Attacks like that could happen anytime. Better reinforce the wall properly, no?"
"Appreciate the suggestion, but Ifrit is best understood by me and our experts. We won't fall for the same trick."
Her faint smile didn't reach her eyes—a warning to outsiders not to overstep.
"Jinook."
Calling her brother, she issued orders. Hanbit could guess the content without hearing.
She'll claim it's a search.
Firnen's mind was fixed on the monster anomaly around Ifrit. To solve it, cut the root—that was her logic. Seemed logical, but the wave wasn't pure natural selection.
"You two done?"
Hanbit approached after waiting for their talk. Firnen composed herself into business mode.
"Yes, that's all. Oh, right—about your reward."
"Can I take a proposal instead?"
"A... proposal?"
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Wariness mixed with probing—an oddly unpleasant vibe.
"You're planning to fix that wall, right?"
"Of course. It'll take time, but reinforcement is feasible."
She nodded as if it were obvious. Hanbit followed up smoothly.
"Then how about entrusting the repairs to the dwarves?"