Chapter 80 : Chapter 80

Chapter 80 - Solo Run (2)

Even among the formidable foes teeming within Conqueror, the Dragonkin were undeniably one of the top-ranking demonic beasts.

Overwhelming resistance to all types of attacks, boundless mana and stamina, diverse techniques and unique skills, and a breath that could overturn a city-sized area in one shot.

Even a veteran like me often had to pack all sorts of supplies to face a Dragonkin.

And although it was a significantly degraded version compared to a Dragonkin, the Water Dragon also possessed similar characteristics.

At the very least, to take it down with a party of ten, it was practically a suicide mission unless a climber of Kim Kang-in's level was included.

‘...Good grief.’

That psychopath, the Knight of Red and Green, really.

The very act of placing such a creature as the Floor Master in just the second ordeal was a clear testament to how obsessed he was with the Guardian.

Of course, all the guys at the Round Table showed something akin to dependency on the Guardian, but among them, Jeokrok was a severe case.

Look at him throwing in something like that just because it seemed like I was getting a little of the Guardian's attention, basically telling us all to die together.

“...”

Well, it was convenient for me.

Guys with some kind of mental quirk like that were actually welcome from my perspective.

It made them easier to break down.

“...”

Feeling a stinging gaze from behind, I turned to see what it was, and Yoo Ho-jun was staring at me with narrowed eyes.

“No. I just smell the scent of trickery again.”

“...”

Are you seriously using mind-reading or something?

“Well, that’s not what’s important right now.”

Looking down from above, the situation was nothing short of a complete mess.

If they were going to use the word ‘Quagmire’ as the name, it should have been a slow, suffocating subsidence like a swamp, but now the entire forest was being sucked in at a terrifying speed as if a black hole had appeared in one spot.

That alone was threatening enough, but the Water Dragon also had another extremely annoying characteristic as a boss monster.

It would unhesitatingly summon minions, which Dragonkin usually shunned as ‘lowly’.

Of course, it wasn't like a real Dragonkin that commanded an army under it, but in a situation like this…

-...!

Simultaneously with the Water Dragon's threatening roar, something began to reveal itself one by one, breaking through the ground that was still pouring down rain.

Anyone with good eyesight would probably be able to recognize them as the demonic beasts that had been attacking people in Stage 1.

However, now under the influence of the Water Dragon's mana, they had developed a few completely new characteristics.

Fins, gills, and even scales.

Anyone who saw them would believe they had originally lived in the water.

And befitting their changed appearance, they moved freely here and there on the swirling ground mixed with water and mud.

“H-hiiik!”

“Help me!”

And the climbers who were being helplessly swept into the quagmire screamed with pale faces upon seeing them.

Well, in a situation where it was hard to even support one's own body, if things like that came at them, they were as good as dead.

“...Kuh.”

And seeing that, Seo Hye-in groaned and gripped the hilt of her sword.

Well, this person was a model student by nature and righteous, so it couldn't be helped.

It was one thing to kill an opponent in a fair fight, but seeing defenseless people being unilaterally slaughtered like this probably didn't sit well with her sensibilities.

“...”

But she kept glancing at me, gripping and releasing the hilt of her sword.

This person also understood that the concept of this stage was ‘survival’. She understood that helping them would only be helping a competitor.

So, in this part, I had to step in and say it clearly.

“Catch.”

I took another item out of my backpack and tossed it towards Seo Hye-in.

Of course, not just to Seo Hye-in, but one to each of the others as well.

It was an item that was more effective the more people used it.

I only brought necessary items, but tossing them out like this made me feel like I had some kind of magic inventory.

“What... is this?”

Seo Hye-in asked, holding the megaphone-like object in her hand and turning it over and over.

It was an intuitive item that you use just as it looks.

“Well, it’s something like this.”

Saying that, I also grabbed the same item and pointed it towards the ground.

And when I pressed the button corresponding to the trigger, a deafeningly loud sound echoed downwards.

Of course, it wasn't just a loud sound.

The demonic beasts swimming in the quagmire all turned their gazes towards us at once.

“To be precise, it’s a ‘lure’. It draws aggro like crazy.”

“A lure?”

A dazed question came back, but this time, there was no need for me to explain.

All the demonic beasts in sight were growling at us.

The hostility they had shown towards the other climbers just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.

“This way, the other people will be safe. All the attention will be on us.”

“...”

Seo Hye-in nodded her head vigorously with a much brighter expression.

Right, people should live with a smile.

“Scoring points is nice, but doesn't that obviously make us more endangered?!”

“Stop nagging, Pink Mage. People with bad tempers tend to have stunted growth.”

“...”

I smirked at Lee Si-yeong, who was alternating her gaze between her staff and me, and looked around.

It was certainly a terrifying number of demonic beasts, enough for her to point it out like that.

Although the raft was currently floating in the sky, it wasn't flying high enough to ignore all of their attacks.

But, well.

“Let’s try a different way of thinking.”

“What?”

“A crisis, in other words, is an opportunity to be active.”

“...Huh?”

Honestly.

If a veteran declares a ‘solo run’, just getting first place in a competition like this doesn't satisfy my taste.

Brilliantly, so firmly that no one can raise an objection, so thoroughly that no one would even think of approaching.

I have to slam the ‘difference in class’ right into their eyes.

“...Sounds like you intentionally orchestrated this situation for that purpose.”

“Your head is starting to work, huh?”

“You crazy bastard. Crazy bastard...”

I chuckled at Lee Si-yeong, who was muttering as if groaning.

Crazy bastard?

Please call me dangerously rational.

“That’s what a crazy bastard is!”

Nope.

It's not.

***

So, although he vehemently denied it himself.

No matter how you looked at it, Kim Gyu-sik was indeed a crazy bastard.

That was the conclusion of everyone regarding the situation unfolding before their eyes.

“...”

The area was in a state where an innumerable number of demonic beasts were rushing towards them, as if a hornet's nest had been stirred.

In a fight, numbers are violence.

There were occasionally strategy-weapon-like climbers who could turn the tide of a battlefield by themselves, but since there was no such person in the current situation, that premise could be said to be correct.

Therefore, if such a number had attacked, they should have been annihilated without a chance. They couldn't even take advantage of the terrain, as the battlefield was limited to a flying raft with restricted movement.

And in such a desperate crisis.

Kim Gyu-sik and his team members.

Not a single one of them had even a scratch.

“...Haha, really.”

And everyone present knew what made that possible.

“Seo Hye-in, a Half-moon Slash there. Hold for 2 seconds and switch places with Seo Ah-in.”

A demonic beast that had shot up from the water at a terrifying speed to attack the raft was knocked away by Seo Hye-in's sword, swung at the perfect timing.

And the face of the demonic beast, whose attack was deflected in mid-air, showed clear bewilderment. It must have felt like an iron wall had suddenly sprung up before its eyes.

And at the same time, like a spear thrusting out from behind a defensive line, Seo Ah-in, who had quickly switched places with Seo Hye-in, immediately bisected the demonic beast with a follow-up attack.

“Area-of-effect magic. 2nd-tier. Chain Lightning and Inferno. With a 4-verse incantation. Mana distribution 4:6. Fire one shot each at 30 degrees left and 40 degrees right. Meirin, provide mana support.”

Along with the insanely detailed instructions, scorching attack magic poured out from Lee Si-yeong in the designated directions.

The horde of demonic beasts that were about to charge, having amassed in such numbers that the vanguard almost couldn't cut them down, was stopped in one fell swoop.

“...”

“...”

And while Kim Gyu-sik ceaselessly gave out instructions in a level voice, the entire team moving in sync with him was staring at him as if he were a monster.

The majority of those present were climbers with abundant practical experience, and because of that, they had a firm standard for the title of ‘excellent commander’.

And they could guarantee it.

Even geniuses who left their names in history would be incapable of this kind of command.

This was because the human cognitive range has its limits, and reading the flow of all information in a situation with this many enemies was theoretically impossible.

But.

This man.

This man who seemed to be seeing through the entire battlefield by himself.

Through perfect command that made the entire team feel like a single living organism, he was comically trampling over even the proposition that numbers are violence.

Moreover, thanks to the fluid distribution of the team members' mana and stamina, not a single person was tired.

This man had declared with his own mouth that he would go on a ‘solo run’.

Clearly, he was a man who would take responsibility for his words.

It was certain that not only the other climbers participating in the ordeal, but the whole world watching from outside the Tower would be in an uproar.

At the very least.

In the lineage of climbers that had continued until now, there had never been a battle this bizarrely ‘perfect’!

‘...Where on earth did a guy like this come from?’

It was certain that everyone present was mulling over that question, but Kim Gyu-sik, who was achieving such a miracle, was just staring at his wristwatch with an expression that seemed to have no emotion at all.

As if this were something as natural as breathing.

“Wait a minute. They're not charging anymore.”

“Pardon? Oh, you're right? Why is that?”

“Uh... I think they're scared.”

“...They're scared? That many of them, of us?”

It had even come to this kind of situation.

Since they were repeatedly crushed and only accumulated losses no matter how hard they charged, the demonic beasts, which outnumbered them by dozens of times, were now hesitating and reluctant to attack.

They had just blankly done as they were told, and suddenly they had gained such an overwhelming advantage that they had engraved ‘fear’ into that number.

“This... what is this? What? This is combat? Then what have I been doing all this time...?”

Starting with Seo Ah-in, who sank to the ground clutching her head as if her identity was in chaos, everyone stared blankly at Kim Gyu-sik as if they were out of their minds.

And the person who received those gazes finally took his eyes off his wristwatch and sighed.

“7 minutes and 15 seconds to cause a morale break... I’ve gotten pretty rusty. I should have finished it within 5 minutes.”

“...”

“...”

To say it again.

Kim Gyu-sik was indeed a crazy bastard.

No matter what he denied.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.