Chapter 165
Chapter 165
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: Teleportation to Seoul
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I'm exhausted, on the verge of collapse. My vision is spinning, and my legs feel like they're about to give out any second, fatigue wracking my body.
Staring at the fallen corpse, I examined its sword from every angle.
Just looking at it sent chills creeping up my spine—it was that sharp, a true masterwork blade.
But it was too slender for Han Sang-ah to wield effectively, and I mainly used spears anyway.
"Maybe I should just sell it..."
How many people could even afford to buy something like this? For now, I pocketed Su Moon-tak's sword and, as a bonus, grabbed the clothes he had been wearing.
They were torn in places here and there. Still, they were incredibly durable and lightweight, with functions to heal the wearer's injuries and provide strong magic resistance.
"Not exactly in wearable condition, though..."
I figured Choi Seung-gi might be able to patch them up if I got lucky.
The war was still raging. We couldn't afford to waste any more time. We were en route to Shijeu, and it was now right before us.
Since we'd taken down the strongest enemy...
"Time to keep fighting."
What I really wanted was to heal my wounds, take a hot bath, and grab some decent food. But damn circumstances weren't giving me that luxury.
There were still plenty of enemies left, and a long road ahead. Rest could wait until everything was done. Using my spear like a cane, I stood up, took a deep breath, and burned away my body's fatigue once more with Paradox Flame.
"Ugh."
Next, I incinerated the pain from my broken arm and cracked ribs. The agony would persist until I could properly heal, so I'd have to keep using Paradox Flame.
"Let's see..."
What line could I shout to sharpen the morale of the hunters battling Gon Sal-ok's forces even a little more?
"I won!"
In the end, that's what I yelled. I'd won. With that simple declaration, I launched myself toward the cluster of corpses.
"Raaah!"
The hunters, buoyed by my victory, moved with renewed lightness. I led them from the forefront, the most dangerous position, swinging my spear and spewing Paradox Flame.
"It's impossible for there to be nothing there."
Gon Sal-ok's core had sent a subordinate positioned like its guardian knight. There had to be something in Shijeu. Taking command from Han Sang-ah, I swiftly advanced on Shijeu with the hunters.
"Almost there!"
It was right in front of us. Shijeu as a whole was shielded by a magic circle—not a barrier, but a spell designed to conceal something.
"As I thought."
It wasn't hiding something small. To deploy magic of this magnitude with such immense mana...
I needed to dismantle this spell first.
The moment I tried to locate the core sustaining the magic circle, storm clouds gathered in the sky, forming the shape of a human face.
As if it had been waiting for our arrival, the magic enveloping all of Shijeu unraveled.
"This is..."
What had been hidden in Shijeu finally revealed itself. A staggeringly tall tower at the center, encircled by three layers of walls. And surrounding the central spire, other towers standing like sentinels.
A headache-inducing, otherworldly magic and a nauseating surge of mana emanated from it.
All the charging hunters halted at the overwhelming grandeur. The others were simply crushed by its sheer presence, but I, observing the countless symbols etched into the massive structure and the flows of mana, quickly reached a conclusion.
"Teleportation? You bastards...!"
I could only estimate roughly, but this colossal edifice was built for mass troop teleportation. Maximum capacity per activation... around 10,000. Recharge time: about one hour.
The destination for the teleporting forces was estimated to be Seoul, South Korea.
"Straight-up teleportation would eject the monsters from the Erosion Zone, so..."
As long as this device operated, an Erosion Zone would form and persist around the teleportation site. It was an insidious, exquisitely precise setup.
Even in the world where I'd been conscripted, a structure like this would be classified as miraculous!
It wasn't something you could build in a day or two. It demanded 7-10 years of relentless effort—a monumental achievement.
And it was almost ready to activate. At most, 30 minutes left.
My guess was spot on. A structure that teleported about 10,000 troops every hour. And 350,000 undead in reserve.
Every hour, 10,000 undead would pour into Seoul. Like an airborne assault.
I quickly reported Shijeu's situation to headquarters.
Major General Woo Il-seop's voice trembled. This wasn't the time to be shocked.
"Major General Woo Il-seop, forget main and flanking forces. Send everything to Shijeu."
Neither Major General Woo Il-seop nor I felt like using polite speech with each other right now.
"Cut the crap. How are nearly 50,000 hunters supposed to get back to Korea? Do you know how long a retreat would take?"
Even by ship, it'd be a while, and we couldn't transport that many at once anyway. By the time we retreated and arrived, Korea would be beyond saving.
This wasn't just 350,000 monsters. It was an undead legion. All of Korea's top hunters were here right now. Korea had no capacity to defend against an undead teleportation assault.
Even if they mobilized emergency forces led by Dangun's descendants, most would be in Manchuria.
"Major General Woo Il-seop. I've got a plan."
There was a way. I clicked my tongue and draped Su Moon-tak's retrieved clothes over my body. They were ragged, but the recovery and magic resistance effects still held.
Slowly, the wounds and injuries from my fight with Su Moon-tak began to heal.
"Teleportation doesn't distinguish friend from foe. The other hunters here can't make it, but I can reach the top of that teleportation-activating tower."
Plus, such devices always built in spare capacity for contingencies. One more like me would be no issue.
Major General Woo Il-seop finally realized what I intended.
"Yeah. And stop them there."
The other hunters in Shijeu lacked the skill to reach the tower's summit. But I didn't.
"Not 350,000. Just about 10,000 per hour via teleportation."
I didn't have to stop all 350,000 at once.
"Contact Korea and evacuate Seoul as much as possible. First off... what's the tallest skyscraper in Seoul right now?"
For stable mass teleportation like this, a reference point was needed at the destination too. And the higher, the better.
Thus, the undead legion would teleport around Seoul's tallest building.
"Evacuate Gangnam first, then."
I took a deep breath, gathered my thoughts, and continued.
"With the first teleportation, an Erosion Zone about the size of a soccer stadium will unfold around it."
That was a small mercy. But nothing to celebrate.
"Over time, the Erosion Zone will try to expand its influence. If I keep thinning the undead numbers successfully, it won't grow... but..."
If I failed, the Erosion Zone would spread across Seoul.
"While I hold out, you all attack Shijeu here. Either topple the tower or support me as long as you can."
Even with 350,000 undead garrisoned, if all of Korea's hunters swarmed here, they couldn't teleport them all. They'd have to defend the tower.
"Got a better idea, Commander Woo Il-seop of the Joint Korean Forces?"
Major General Woo Il-seop fell silent at my words.
"If not, whether I'm confident or not doesn't matter. It just has to be done."
What was with the sudden politeness? It was cringey.
"Hurry. No time."
About 20 minutes until that damn tower activated.
After finishing, I shared the conversation with the other hunters.
"I'll be heading back to Korea, so Jeong No-hoon and Han Sang-ah will take command here. Hold out and buy time until reinforcements arrive. That's all."
With that, spear in hand, I gazed at the distant tower and sighed.
"Damn, what a brutal climb today."
Gripping my spear tight, I sprinted toward the distant tower.
"That's why I'm saying the policy was fucked from the start."
Korea had been content while other countries fell, focusing on solidifying their position instead of eliminating Erosion Cores. They'd deliberately ignored many dangerous ones nearby to maintain their dominance.
And this was the result. Years of Gon Sal-ok's buildup toward doom.
It sent shivers down my spine.
If I hadn't built my reputation clearing Grade 1 Erosion Cores? If the Korean government hadn't issued the hunter mobilization order to attack Gon Sal-ok?
The prosperity they'd desperately guarded would have ended as a fleeting glimmer.
"Not a coincidence."
Finding the building Gon Sal-ok erected was chance. But the downfall Korea's choices could have led to? That was inevitable, not random.
Even now, plans to destroy Korea were advancing somewhere. I'd just uncovered one such path.
You could tell from the black ore alone. Gon Sal-ok's plan had simply ripened faster.
"Get lost. No time."
Dodging undead soldiers charging with weapons, arrows, and spells, I kept running toward the tower. Time was ticking down.
Nothing could be done without reaching that tower.
"This is bullshit."
It hadn't even been long since I'd fought that lunatic corpse who cleaved mountains with sword beams, and now this crap. Why was I so unlucky?
Clearing the blockers slowed me too much, so I ran risking some injuries.
The recovery from Su Moon-tak's clothes couldn't keep up with the damage I was taking. Only when my body was as ragged as these sackcloth rags did I finally climb to the tower's summit.
The 10,000 undead prepping for teleportation all turned to stare at me. The charged energy at the peak proved activation was seconds away.
"Hah... huff... heave..."
Panting, I wiped my mouth and grinned at them.
"Hey, corpses. Heard you're off on a group trip to my country. Need a guide?"
Let's go together. I'll be your guide. And...
"Don't like kimchi?"
The moment I finished speaking, the magic circle blazed with intense light.