Sanctuary 02: "Isn't This Too Many?"
"Isn't this too many?"
It was a number that felt a bit excessive. Even in the event's first phase, the maximum had been seven. The approaching wolves numbered at least thirty, no less.
Of course, we do have a house.
Facing seven in an empty, open space was different from facing thirty with walls and defenses in place. Hunters, especially, excelled at surviving ever-shifting battlefields. Back in Yeonwoo's veteran days, pre-gate scouting had been essential. Strategies and know-how exploiting specific gate environments had even been sold for cash.
"No need to worry much."
Honestly, it was a breeze. Even if a hundred came charging in a horde instead of thirty, it wouldn't matter. No matter how many wolves piled on, breaching the fortress was unimaginable.
But... that hut over there. Wonder how the reed team will handle it.
"What should we try first? Huh?"
Shin Gaon poked Yeonwoo's side. She looked thrilled at the sight of the oncoming wolves.
Is it that exciting?
Yeonwoo tilted her head slightly and turned her gaze to the wolf pack. Since it was just plain wolves with no werewolves mixed in, using the rooftop gear felt like overkill. That left the second floor.
"Weapons. Let's use the weapons."
Yeonwoo bounded down the stairs excitedly and hauled over a cannonball the size of her torso.
Clunk.
She loaded the cannon, then inspected the rear of the mount from every angle. No ignition device or fuse in sight.
"This cannon's straight out of a fairy tale."
Upon closer look, the structure was downright shoddy. The cannonball even loaded sideways through a hatch in the back—hardly proper design. So firing it should be simple enough. Broken tools usually obeyed after a good whack. Shin Gaon was a prime example.
Thwack!
The moment she kicked the cannon's rear with all her might—
BOOM!
"Whoa!"
A deafening roar erupted as crimson flames bloomed from the barrel's end. The acrid stench of gunpowder stung her nose, and when the cannonball slammed into the ground—
KABOOM!
The projectile exploded amid the wolf pack, spewing a mushroom cloud of fire.
"...Why?"
It looked like a plain hunk of iron from every angle. How it fired was a mystery, and why it exploded? Even more baffling. Utterly inexplicable.
But that inexplicable violence engulfed the wolves.
-Kuh...!
Wolves caught in the blast didn't even have time to howl. They just burned to ash, plastered to the ground.
-Kiiing!
Even those that veered off fared no better. Tossed aside, they writhed on the dirt, whimpering pathetically in their death throes. A lucky few bounced toward the gate, but—
-Pruuuhhh!
They just splashed into the moat and drowned.
And even if one incredibly lucky wolf evaded the blast and reached the gate—
-Kak! Kk!
Thud. Plop.
Its feeble claws couldn't even scratch the fortress. Weaker than a cat scraping a chair.
It was over in seconds.
"What is this power."
Yeonwoo clenched her fist slightly. This absurd might. Surprisingly, her sense of superiority surged properly. Wolves—mere underlings—felt irrelevant now, no matter the numbers. An overwhelming superiority welled up.
"How're the others holding up?"
The wolves were powerless before the sturdy fortress. With most of the thirty wiped out, they weren't worth a second thought.
Yeonwoo peered through the second-floor window at the other houses. As the only two-story structure in the zone, it offered a clear view, just like the rooftop.
"Whoa..."
The sight made her jaw drop. The huts were especially pitiful.
The two hunters there guarded the hut's entrance against the swarm. Luckily, the narrow opening let them hold off the wolves indefinitely, like the rug faction's gear.
But the other wolves were the problem.
-Grr, grrr!
Crunch. Crackle.
The wolves surrounded the hut, jaws working furiously. They'd grab a bundle of reeds, yank viciously—
Crack. Crinkle.
—and strips of the structure peeled away. With so many wolves, the hut's volume shrank in real time.
"Whoa. Brutal."
Shin Gaon sidled up—having come down unnoticed—pointing at the disintegrating hut and cackling.
"You find this funny?"
"What? The ones who last till the end win, right?"
She was right. Defend your house—your sanctuary—against the wolves. The last team standing claims the event win and the weapon prize. First-phase eliminations were a thing, so this was just natural progression.
"Anyway, check that out. Something weird's coming."
Every zone faced the same assault, so other areas revealed new developments too.
Shin Gaon pointed to a werewolf—twice normal size, with an absurdly bulky upper body.
"No way. It can't be."
Its form made the intent obvious.
The werewolf approached a hut, planted its arms at its waist, and drew a deep breath. Its belly ballooned like a bellows—
Fwooooosh!
—and it unleashed a ferocious gust.
Whump-whump-whump!
The reeds flew helplessly in the gale.
"Ugh, nooo!"
"Our house! Our home!"
The hunters' wails filled the sanctuary.
All the huts suffered the same.
"Hm."
Yeonwoo's fortress, however, felt no change.
Fwooooosh!
An identical brute blew hard at the gate—but nothing happened, naturally.
"Kinda chilly."
A bit refreshing, at most. Still, couldn't leave it forever.
"Let's try this one now."
Yeonwoo hefted a massive arrow—longer than she was tall. Just holding it made her heart race.
Click.
It slotted into the ballista effortlessly. She aimed at the werewolf's torso—
Thwack!
—kicked the ballista—
Whoosh. Bang!
—and the arrow pierced the air with a sonic boom before—
Splat!
—embedding in the ground. The werewolf's upper body vanished; its legs crumpled.
Overwhelming didn't cover it. The power was immeasurable.
"Whoa. Insane. Good aim too?"
"Weapons are my thing overall."
Simple. Too simple, suspiciously so.
"Ah."
But superiority piled on. Wolves were done; now werewolf-crushing superiority swelled too.
Is the Wild Sanctuary finale over already?
She wondered if the slaughter phase was ending, but a slight doubt lingered.
Feels too quick.
Her experience boiled down to Ant Nest and this decisive sanctuary, but one more entity seemed needed for proper pacing. They'd killed plenty of wolves and werewolves, but not Ant Nest-level massacre. She'd geared up for the real waves, yet it was nearly full already?
...But no anomaly here.
Even if a higher entity lurked, this liberated gate meant no encounter.
Tick. Ticking. Tick.
A cheerful chime rang through the sanctuary—the sound of rankings shifting.
"Hm?"
Yeonwoo climbed back to the roof. No leaderboard under the night sky, but zones changed.
Tick.
A distant hut vanished as reeds fully dismantled. Its two hunter owners disappeared too.
One team eliminated—just the first assault, and most huts were out. Only the quick few who'd prioritized killing the werewolf with raw power survived.
But it wouldn't end there.
Rumble-rumble.
The ground shook again as more wolves approached. Second wave, naturally tougher.
Leading: nearly twenty wolves. Ten werewolves loping on two legs. Trailing: one massive outlier gripping torches.
"Oh no."
Exactly as feared.
As the pack reached the houses, it inhaled deeply, torches before its puffed-up maw—
Fwooooosh!
—blasting flames like a flamethrower.
"F-Fire!"
"What the hell, this some circus?!"
"Block it quick—fire'll spread to the house!"
Panic spread, inevitably. Surviving huts turned to campfires instantly. Wooden houses held thanks to fences, fire not reaching inside.
And Yeonwoo's fortress.
Whoosh!
The blaze hammered the gate—but nothing happened.
"We're basically spectators, huh?"
Shin Gaon propped her legs on the wall, swinging them.
The brick house was invincible.
"Still second wave. Gotta watch."
No room for complacency. This was a gate—durability might lurk unseen despite appearances.
Yeonwoo moved from roof to wall, to the boiling cauldron.
Whack!
She kicked it.
Clunk!
It tilted slowly, dumping boiling oil below the gate—right atop the flame-blasting werewolf.
Fwoosh. Sizzle!
The oil engulfed them.
-Grrraaah! Grk!
-Kyaaaah...!
Screams like scraped vocal cords exploded. Acrid smoke rose as they thrashed wildly. Flames from the werewolf spread, turning the gate into hellscape—a eternal pyre for sinners.
"Ah. Leveled up."
Heaven on the walls. Experience heaven. Using fortress weapons built superiority; inner power surged too.
No third trait in a row, disappointingly.
Could rack up more here?
Waves meant mass influxes—slaughter-level experience. Pushing Tier II stage 4, steadily toward Tier III.
Tier III needed growth from stage 5 quickest, 10 slowest.
"At this rate..."
Yeonwoo scanned from the wall. Wolves burned or moat-sank below; the chaos was an experience symphony.
Other zones were wrecks. Hunters fought forward to defend houses. Some failed; fire spread to wood.
"Hope they hold longer."
Longer waves, bigger haul. Had to wish them luck.
Event 'Sanctuary' begins.
Every hunter's view filled with the system window. Yeonwoo eyed the landscape beyond the translucent pane curiously.
"Huh? Wolves are still coming."
Wave unfinished. Speeding up tempo? The doubt wouldn't fade.
"Wasn't there last time."
Veteran hunters prioritized survival, honing environmental sensitivity. Definitely second wave—no window when torch-werewolf appeared.
Rumble.
Wolves emerged from fallen trees—a blue tide in numbers.
"...Roughly thirty."
Yeonwoo muttered instinctively. A double-sized werewolf followed, upper body bulging. And somehow—
—the moon overhead seemed faintly red.