What is a counterattack?
An unquenchable flame, an eternal blaze.
A fire that can consume everything in existence.
I wanted to strike in all directions, including the warp gate. And I had the power to do so. This fire is a mythical force, capable of destroying anything I choose.
But I held back. Once I confirmed the warp gate was occupied, I had a gut feeling that the plan had gone awry. In the worst-case scenario, it might have already been damaged.
In other words, while I could seize the warp gate, users might blame me if it was found damaged. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, I targeted the vagrants at the forefront, tearing through their defenses.
The situation was evenly matched as the vagrants focused on defense, but with users on the offensive, this should be enough to reclaim the gate.
The blazing sword shot through the air without hesitation. The fire, burning brightly, soared over the users’ heads with a clear sound. As it reached the large-scale barrier set by the vagrants, it dove like an eagle hunting its prey.
If you launch 100 missiles, the narrower the target area, the more firepower you can concentrate.
But even without that, the power of the fire was absolute.
Whoosh! Crackle!
“What the hell is this? Shields, shields!”
“Aaaah!”
There was no grand explosion or flashy effects. The fire simply obeyed my will.
Dozens of blazing swords struck their targets. The large, translucent barrier tore like paper. The vagrants, who had been blocking the users under the protection of mages, were quickly scattered. The flames from the fire lit up the area around the warp gate, and the screams of those impaled by the swords echoed mournfully.
“What happened? Who suddenly…?”
“This is our chance! Attack! Let’s reclaim the warp gate!”
The once sturdy barrier was shattered. The vagrants blocking the users were neutralized. Some mages in the back staggered, affected by the broken barrier. The once impenetrable entrance was now wide open.
Some users were bewildered by the sudden turn of events, but their survival instincts were fierce. The lull was brief. They soon roared with anger and surged forward like a wave.
I followed from behind, closely observing the vagrants’ situation.
‘The remaining ones can be left to the users.’
Unlike the one-sided massacre in the central plaza, the warp gate wasn’t as dire. A few vagrants outside the range or barely regaining their senses were visible. But the users were already flooding in. It was a chaotic charge with no tactics or order, but in this situation, it was a decent approach.
“Don’t push! I said don’t push, you bastard!”
“Keep your place! Let’s go in the order we came!”
“Die, you bastards!”
“Aaaargh!”
With hundreds of users rushing in at once, the inside of the warp gate was incredibly chaotic.
It wasn’t just chaotic. Users were sprinting straight to the warp gate, others were attacking the fallen vagrants, and the vagrants, though resisting desperately, were surrounded. All the shouts and screams mixed, echoing through the warp gate.
Watching them, I decided to make full use of my boots. It looked like the warp gate would soon be packed with users. I needed to check the situation quickly, so I leaped into the air.
“Ouch! Someone stepped on my head!”
‘Sorry.’
I glanced down to see a user clutching their head and crouching. My first jump wasn’t quite enough, so I stepped wherever I could, and it happened to be their head. I offered a silent apology and looked ahead again.
The warp gate was getting closer by the second. But despite several users clinging to it, there was no sign of the portal opening.
As I landed near the warp gate, a cry confirmed the unease I’d felt.
“The warp gate isn’t working!”
‘Damn it.’
I bit my lip and rushed to the warp gate. It seemed intact. No visible damage, and the connections were all in place. Yet it wasn’t functioning. There was only one explanation. The vagrants had tampered with the magic circle that operated the warp gate.
“What do you mean? Why isn’t it working?!”
“Hurry up and open the portal!”
“I don’t know… why… why…”
“Move aside! Let me try.”
Chaos erupted inside. And with the users in the back, unaware that the warp gate wasn’t working, adding to the uproar, it was beyond chaotic. Just then, as I approached the magic circle, hoping it might be repairable, a low chuckle reached my ears.
“Heh heh heh heh heh…”
The sound came from the ground. I looked down to see a vagrant trampled under the users’ feet. Their gear was in tatters, and lying in a pool of blood, they looked like they could die any moment.
“Serves you right, you bastards… Heh heh… Cough! Cough!”
“What did you do to the warp gate?”
“What did we do? We messed with the magic circle, you idiot. Enjoy your stay here. You’ll all be dead when reinforcements arrive from outside…!”
“You bastard…!”
“Why not run if you want to live? Heh heh!”
Thud!
Someone, unable to contain their anger, struck the vagrant’s head, causing a fountain of blood. Watching the vagrant’s eyes roll back, I activated my third eye.
If it’s damage rather than complete destruction, maybe it can be repaired quickly. I needed to assess the damage, so I turned my gaze to the magic circle.
’…Let’s give up.’
And as I checked the information and damage rate of the warp gate displayed in the air, I decided to leave immediately. Whoever tampered with it was an expert. Technically, it could be repaired, but not here. It would take at least two days of dedicated work to fix the magic circle.
Shouts from three directions were closing in. Time was of the essence. Knowing the warp gate was unusable, there was no point in lingering. Pushing through the users filling the interior, I leaped back towards the entrance. There was only one option left: escape through the city gates.
‘Now, which gate to choose…’
“Su-hyun!”
“Oppa!”
As I jumped over the packed users and reached the entrance, familiar voices called out. Turning towards the sound, I saw Go Yeon-ju and the clan members gathered, not yet inside the warp gate. Grateful for this stroke of luck, I quickly made my way to them.
Deep into the night, the dark sky cast a heavy shadow over the city. But the city wasn’t dark. Flames rising from all directions chased away the darkness, illuminating the city brightly.
The streets lit by the fire resembled a scene from hell, a horrific sight. The rubble of shattered buildings was strewn with cold, lifeless bodies. Blood from the corpses trickled down the walls, forming pools and slowly extending into streams.
Even though the scattered bodies could form a small hill, the slaughter continued. One side massacred indiscriminately, while the other wailed helplessly. Occasionally, users attempted resistance, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the vagrants’ relentless assault.
A city overrun by slaughter. Streets overflowing with screams, madness, corpses, and blood. Through the central road of such a street, a woman in tight black tights walked leisurely. Her name was Baek Seo-yeon.
Walking with the grace of a model, Baek Seo-yeon closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she exhaled calmly, a satisfied smile appeared on her lips. Her eyes sparkled as she opened them again. This situation seemed to delight her immensely.
“Wow, you’re really crazy. How can you think like that in this situation?”
“Crazy? Who are you calling crazy? Then what’s that in your hand?”
After striding through the streets for a while, Baek Seo-yeon stopped abruptly. The loud shouts echoing through the streets made her previously joyful expression turn into a slight frown.
Eventually, Baek Seoyeon’s face, as she looked in one direction, began to show clear signs of disdain. With a thin sigh, she drew the dagger hanging at her waist. Gripping it firmly in one hand, she resumed her steps.
Ahead of her, a man and a woman were in the midst of a heated argument. It was certainly an odd scene, bickering in such a hellish situation. But considering the number of bodies around them and what they each held, it wasn’t entirely surprising.
“Hey, how old do you think this kid is? At most, he’s in elementary school. Is he even a user? Just kill him already.”
“What does it matter? And what’s that in your hand?”
“That woman is clearly an adult. And unlike you, I don’t do perverted things. Just shut up and kill her.”
“You’re crazy. Do you think it’s easy to find a cute, young boy like this? Anyway, I’m keeping him, so mind your own business.”
“Unbelievable.”
Seoyeon couldn’t help but let out a disdainful laugh at their conversation. The two turned to her, startled. As they looked at her, a cloud of despair settled over their faces. In their grips were a young boy and a mature woman, both looking as if they were about to have their hair ripped out.
“Sister.”
“Ma’am, you’re here!”
“Yeah, right. While others are risking their lives on missions, you so-called officers are doing a great job, huh?”
“It’s not like that…”
As the woman hesitated, Seoyeon shot forward like an arrow. In an instant, she closed the distance and swung her dagger with blinding speed.
Bang!
A sharp, explosive sound echoed as if a balloon had burst. The boy’s head exploded like a crushed watermelon, pink brain matter splattering everywhere.
The woman who had been holding the boy’s head raised her hand in shock, now clutching only a handful of hair. She stared at it for a moment before her face twisted in frustration.
“Sister!”
“Quiet.”
“Seriously… I barely managed to catch one out of thirty…”
Ignoring the grumbling beside her, Seoyeon turned her gaze to the man. As soon as he met her eyes, he shook his head frantically.
“Ma’am! No, please!”
But Seoyeon’s leg sliced through the air without hesitation, her foot connecting squarely with the woman’s jaw.
Crack!
With a single scream, the mature woman’s neck twisted grotesquely.
Watching the limp body, the man spoke in a mournful voice.
“Really, ma’am. You’re too much.”
“You two are the ones who are too much. How long has it been since the raid started, and you’re already looting?”
Seoyeon rotated her ankle in the air a couple of times before gracefully folding her extended leg. The man, momentarily distracted by her legs, quickly responded when he felt her gaze.
“Hyun said we could loot as much as we wanted.”
“He meant after the raid was over.”
“But you said to kill only twenty each. Look, Haeyeon and I have already killed over a hundred.”
The man pointed to a street, sounding genuinely aggrieved. Indeed, while other streets were filled with screams and footsteps, this one was eerily quiet.
Seoyeon glanced in the direction he indicated. As he claimed, the street was littered with over a hundred bodies.
“Anyway, stop fooling around. Where’s Gain?”
“Gain? Now that you mention it, where did she go? She was kneeling by a body just a moment ago.”
As the woman looked around, Seoyeon shook her head in disbelief.
“Why are all my subordinates so strange? One’s staring at corpses, another’s thinking about looting right after a raid… Sigh.”
“Hey, the plaza was a success, and we got word the warp gate was secured. The situation’s practically over… Cut us some slack, ma’am. We can’t hold back anymore.”
Seoyeon glared at the man who interjected like a magpie, then spoke in a slightly softened tone.
“You sure talk a lot. Didn’t I hand over a few people recently? You were all over that priest, saying she was your type.”
“Oh, right. But I didn’t do it. I mean, I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I was waiting my turn, and I was the two-hundredth. But when I saw her, I lost interest. She was all stretched out, covered in white… It was like looking at a broken doll.”
The man, who had been chattering like a woodpecker, suddenly fell silent.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ma’am. Behind you.”
At his light nod, Seoyeon slowly turned around. Behind her, a woman with a vacant expression was approaching. It was a face that could be described as innocent, or perhaps just out of her mind.
Recognizing her, Seoyeon turned fully.
“Gain? Where have you been?”
“Sister. Big trouble.”
“Where did you… What?”
“Plaza. Warp gate. No contact.”
At those words, the three of them stiffened. Seoyeon furrowed her brow slightly and asked again.
“What do you mean? When we came in…”
“Plaza. Warp gate. No contact.”
The woman repeated, holding up a crystal ball. Seoyeon stared at her for a moment before speaking in a cold voice.
“Park Dongsoo. Lee Haeyeon. Enough chit-chat. It’s a bit early, but gather everyone now. As soon as they’re gathered, head to the plaza and the warp gate.”
“Now? We haven’t fully secured the area yet… Weren’t we going to clean up here first? How about leaving the looting teams on the flanks?”
“Do it.”
With a sharp whistle, Dongsoo nodded and signaled.
In response, shadows that had been scattered began to converge in one direction.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Royujin.
Haha, Mule’s escape will be through the castle gates, not the warp gate. As I mentioned in yesterday’s note, it seems like they’ll be leaving through the castle gates in the next chapter. Which gate will Suhyeon and his group escape through? Some of you sharp readers might have already guessed. Of course, it would be a bit sad to leave just like that, right? :D
Oh, and it seems some of you aren’t too worried these days. Please spare a thought for the vagrants. They’re feeling neglected. ㅜ.ㅠ(?)
『 Reader Comments 』
Miwolya: Congratulations on being first. Haha. Being first seems easy for you. I’d like to try that easy thing too. ㅜ.ㅠ
Ansol: No. If you put all points into stamina now, it’s 98 points. There are 6 points left. :)
Sisyphus: That’s right. Honestly, among the current users, there are less than five who can even remotely match Suhyeon one-on-one. And that’s if he uses Hwajeong…
Smoked Snail: What to do. ㅜ.ㅠ Suhyeon will escape through the castle gates now. But you should worry a bit. Not about Suhyeon, but the vagrants.(?)
Merliwi: Oh, aren’t you the acquaintance of Yurikenne from last time? Nice to meet you!
Sidelle: You have good foresight. ㅎㄷㄷ. But I still have a few tricks up my sleeve!
Pineiro: Yes. Baek Hangyeol is definitely going to get stronger. But if Suhyeon maxes out his stamina at 101, even if Baek Hangyeol awakens as the ultimate weapon, he’d still get crushed by Suhyeon. Of course, that’s assuming Suhyeon goes all out.
LOVE Autumn: Correction completed. Thank you. (__)
Hwiya: Please look forward to the next chapter. I’ll show you Suhyeon’s secret(?) breakthrough power. Hehe.
Ersyrina: Yes! Here’s your reader comment! If it weren’t for the mention of RoyuX, I would have offered it with even more joy. ( —)
Lea: Hehe. Luck is an unpredictable ability. Especially after upgrading to Luck 101, it’s become even more subtle. I’ll leave it to your imagination, Lea. (One of the things you mentioned is partially correct.) Just remember this: luck isn’t omnipotent. Haha. :)
Thank you for always reading. Your recommendations and comments are a great source of strength.
I hope you always read with a relaxed mind.
Recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions are always welcome.