Wild Sanctuary 11 - The Brick Bed Siege
"Huh."
Shin Gaon hugged a brick to her chest as she patted herself down, twisting this way and that. Her body felt just a tad lighter.
"Huh."
Yeonwoo let out the same sound. In contrast, she swung her whip around experimentally.
"No way..."
Judging by Shin Gaon's reaction, the pheromones were doing their job. Hunters were hypersensitive to changes in their bodies—especially those who'd climbed through tiers and stages, honing their growth to a fine edge.
Yeonwoo lashed out with the whip.
"Ow!"
Shin Gaon yelped again. But no mark appeared on her skin.
"How's it feel? Hurt? What's the vibe right now?"
Yeonwoo was genuinely curious—pure, innocent curiosity spilling out of her mouth.
"...Crazy bitch."
But the delivery was pure irony.
Shin Gaon just shook her head and clicked her tongue.
"What the hell!"
Not the kind of line you wanted from a certified lunatic. Yeonwoo whipped harder.
Smack.
Smack smack!
"Hey! Cut it out! No more effect, so stop already, huh?!"
Shin Gaon growled a warning. But Yeonwoo didn't need to hold back—Shin Gaon dodged left and right with ease. Her movements were definitely different now. Lighter and more agile than when she'd fought the werewolves.
This is the queen's pheromone.
A debuff for enemies.
A buff for allies.
And like the debuff version, the buff had a stack limit too.
A weapon worthy of bearing the queen's name. At last, Yeonwoo understood the point of supports.
"Then hurry up and move 'em."
"Yeah. Can't say no when you've gone this far."
Shin Gaon bolted into action. Her lighter steps had her practically sprinting back and forth between the territory and the bricks.
Just like that, the two snuck around, weaving through the uncleared reeds and trees to quietly stockpile bricks.
By the time they'd gathered enough to build a bed...
"What the hell is that?"
A hunter who'd been laboriously chopping wood raised his voice. He'd spotted an open space beyond what he'd thought was an endless forest.
"Those are... bricks...?"
"Why bricks—oh!"
"Aaaah! It's a house! This is house-building!"
Realization dawned, and they grinned like kids, pure joy bubbling up from the logical thrill of grasping the world's truth.
Of course, joy spurred action.
"Hurry and grab... Werewolves!"
"Damn. What now...?"
But werewolves guarded the bricks—and in solid numbers, making it impossible to move carelessly.
"Hmph! I'll take the lead then!"
"Wait, Nade Man?!"
"This is our turf! Get lost, you mutts!"
"You stole all our reeds and now you're talking shit?! Piss off!"
Quick-witted hunters poured in through the paths between trees. Spotting the bricks beyond, they ignored territory lines and swarmed inward.
Grrr?
Grrrrr!
"Outta the way!"
"Bricks first. Bricks no matter what!"
The horde of hunters charged straight for the bricks, bulldozing past werewolves in a frenzy. The two groups tangled into a chaotic mess.
It was pandemonium.
"These bricks give insane contribution."
"And unlike wood, you can carry 'em solo!"
"This volume and strength? Unreal."
It was the dawn of a new era. Like humanity discovering fire, they rejoiced in pure bliss as the age of bricks began.
But unlike wood, bricks were easy to steal. So hands immediately reached for piles others had stacked.
"Take that!"
"Hey, what're you grabbing on your own?!"
"I'll guard this—you keep hauling."
No matter how tech advanced, human nature never changed.
As bricks traded hands in the worst way amid the chaos...
Tick.
Tick tick.
Tick.
The rankings shifted rapidly. Even with bricks flying every which way in the scrum, the total supply kept growing in real time. The event was nearing its end.
Shadows filled territories across the board.
Yeonwoo's was no exception—and especially peculiar. Not a single reed or brick in sight, spotless.
Yet the shadow was nearly full.
Suspicious, sure—but no one probed. They were too swamped protecting their own hauls from thieves. Two-man teams made it twice as brutal.
But no secret lasts forever.
"Huh?"
"Hunter Yeonwoo?"
They finally bumped into Yeonwoo in the clearing stacked with bricks.
The bricks were arranged in a long, pizza-crust-like oval. Hunters who'd tunneled in from one side burned through them fast, spreading to the flanks—and reaching Yeonwoo's territory.
Exposing their secret brick-smuggling op.
"Yo, Shin Gaon—haul ass!"
"Bricks? Or bail?"
"Both!"
The two scooped bricks and bolted.
"Ch-chase 'em!"
"Follow!"
Hunters gave pursuit. Not on solid evidence or hunch—just because it was Yeonwoo. She had to have something good, right? The name alone pulled them along.
Bricks, obviously, their goal.
Tch. So close!
The shadow brimmed on the verge. Even the glowing branch she'd tossed to the werewolves had returned to her hand. Meant the wolf numbers had thinned too.
Whoosh—
Yeonwoo and Shin Gaon dumped their load. The shadow swelled through the territory but stopped just short of full.
"Almost."
"Not 'almost'—more, now!"
"You?"
"I'll guard!"
Shin Gaon smirked and dashed off for more bricks. Words had slipped in the heat, but no time for embarrassment.
"What... look at these bricks!"
"Holy shit. What's all this?"
"This many bricks with no reeds?"
"When'd they stack this much...?"
Hunters finally spotted Yeonwoo's hoard. Greedy eyes locked on the neat stacks.
"Hold up!"
Yeonwoo rushed to block them, arms spread wide in defiance.
"Let's talk this out."
Her desperate pose and expression were downright adorable. But it couldn't halt the tide. If a word would stop them, things wouldn't have devolved this far.
"You started it!"
"Even a saint couldn't save this much!"
And she was the pioneer of brick theft. No dice.
Hunters glanced around, then fanned out to the sides.
"Damn it!"
No matter how strong, she couldn't block that volume solo.
What now.
Losing it here was game over. The endless brick war would drag into infinite stalemate.
Worse—disadvantageous. Her massive territory would be shackles.
Ughhh.
Her slender eyes darted. Needed a way to keep hands off the bricks. Overwhelming force? No, couldn't cover all. Persuasion? Yeah right.
Something bolder. Make it so they couldn't even touch.
Touch...
There was a way. Buying time? Possible.
But it demanded resolve.
Resolve to shed her old self.
"Ughhhh...!"
Yeonwoo let out an embarrassed groan. Then she flopped belly-first onto the neat brick pile.
"H-Hunter Yeonwoo?"
"What're you...?"
Her sprawled form was on full display. Coat draping loose, every curve highlighted.
"Shin Gaon! Just throw!"
She bellowed at full volume. A faint reply echoed from beyond the trees, followed by—
Whoosh—
Bricks arced in parabolas. Laughter rang out too—Ahaha! The tree wall was thin enough that the clearing wasn't far, pheromone marking boosted her throw strength, and crucially...
Thud!
The thick reeds still blanketing the territory. Bricks landed intact atop them.
Just a bit more...!
The pristine territory was a sliver away. So close.
"Th-that won't work!"
"Yeah, you can't finish like this...!"
Hunters didn't stand idle. They tore eyes from flopped Yeonwoo, shook heads clear, and probed for gaps.
The brick bed was full of them. Her slim frame couldn't cover it all.
But she could roll nimbly.
To the corner of the bed. Rolling hard at someone grabbing a brick.
Thud.
Her knee bumped their hand.
"Eep."
Yeonwoo squeaked dramatically.
"N-no, that's—!"
Opponent flinched back, hand retracting. Huge effect.
Inner self-loathing? Even huger. Peak since the Ant Nest honey-trap flop.
This far? Really?
She questioned herself. Sane mind couldn't endure—needed victory mantra.
Happy moments.
Future happy moments.
▶ Moment of Brilliance
▷ Grade: ?
▷ Option: ?
▷ Special Option: ?
Gate: Battle on the Eve of the Wild Sanctuary Gate's Event Reward
The third effect of her Stigma 'All Weapons': a system window tracing the weapon's trail.
Moment of Brilliance was a weapon only winnable by conquering the event. How amazing must it be to hide all details like that?
That thought fueled her like magic.
Humiliation is fleeting, but weapons are forever!
Yeonwoo rolled across the brick bed with gusto.
"Eep."
Here and there.
Arms and legs splayed wide.
"Ack."
Blocking every grasping hand with her body.
"Hngh."
Short gasps escaped on successful blocks—bonus feature.
That was the real key. Hunters jolted back at her twitchy reactions.
It's reflex. Can't help it. Just reflex.
Yeonwoo chanted inwardly nonstop, rolling over the bricks again and again.
But tumbling on hard bricks led to inevitable accidents. Mid-side-roll, her ample assets squished between bricks and body—a major mishap.
Squish.
"Aaaah...!"
A lewd sound slipped from Yeonwoo's lips.
"Guh."
This one was pure accident. She clapped hands over her mouth.
This body's driving me insane!
Truly unforeseen. These two hadn't even been two months old. Last month she'd been comatose, forgetting any adaptation.
Plus...
"Ow... it hurts..."
First-time agony wracked her. Squeezing pain she couldn't refuse, tears welled.
"..."
Time froze.
Thud.
Crash.
Even hunters who'd barely snagged bricks dropped them all from the shockwave.
"...Wow."
Someone's awe broke the silence. Then—
Thud thud thud whoosh!
Shin Gaon hurled bricks nonstop, raining them in parabolas onto the reeds like a storm.
And finally.
Tick!
A crisp chime, and the rankings vanished. The phase was over.
Shadows surged. Leaping territories, night blanketed everything.
Sunset scenery spun away.
The moon rose.
The familiar night sky of Battle on the Eve of the Wild Sanctuary Gate.
Awooooooo!
Wolf howls echoed as—
Rumble rumble!
Territories transformed.
"Wh-what..."
"It's over..."
"Wait..."
Flustered words cut short. Surrounding hunters vanished.
Phase end: forced relocation to personal territories.
"Ah, crap."
Bricks gone, Yeonwoo clutched her aching chest and plummeted to the ground.
"What're you doing."
Shin Gaon had warped beside her too.
And the spoils of brutal war: hard-won materials atop designated territories morphed into houses.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Earth quaked, dust billowed. Amid the racket, houses rose from the dirt.
"...This is a house?"
Yeonwoo stared blankly. Pure bricks only.
Her massive territory's brick house emerged in a form that barely qualified as one.