Chapter 49

Chapter 49.

 

Ha-kyung could not help but find it strange.

Was he not merely a twenty-five-year-old unaffiliated Melee Damage Dealer?

He had gained some fame recently, but this was a different matter.

After all, he had never properly taken command until now.

Was that not why he had entrusted it to the Great Sage this time as well?

Ha-kyung asked another question.

“How many people are in the Defense Unit?”

—For now, according to the system, there are three hundred.

“There must be many people more outstanding than me, so why...”

—Because we filtered it down to only Raid Leaders who have led dungeons of at least Massive Unknown Grade scale.

“Ah?”

By coincidence, Ha-kyung fit the conditions exactly.

Thinking about it, there probably were not many people like that.

Massive dungeons were extremely rare.

Moreover, one needed a certain level of fame to form a Raid Party.

Gathering people was far more difficult than one might expect.

In the end, Ha-kyung nodded.

“Understood. When and where should I go?”

—We will send you the gathering location and time separately by message.

“Yes.”

—Then I wish you good fortune.

Click.

After he ended the call, John approached with a displeased expression.

Then he looked at his phone and grumbled.

“No, why is he so rude? Are all Korean civil servants like this?”

“Why?”

“He told me to join the Western Defense Unit and hung up as soon as he said it.”

“They must be busy, so perhaps they only said what they had to say.”

“Still, that is not right!”

“What was it like when you lived in America?”

“Florida is slow as hell. The hot sunshine of the shoreline, slow paper... Now that I think about it, Korea is better. I have become a hurry-hurry human myself.”

John spread both hands and nodded.

Perhaps because he had spoken about his hometown, American gestures came out naturally.

In an oddly awkward way.

Ha-kyung could only laugh hollowly.

‘But this man has forgotten all his English.’

It was absurd, but the important thing right now was the Gate Break.

Ha-kyung quickly began packing his belongings.

It was a great disaster with no way of knowing when it would end.

It would be best to bring as much as possible.

Perhaps John also felt awkward going empty-handed.

He decided to go home and bring his car.

Because of that, Ha-kyung was alone for the first time in a while.

‘It does feel a little lonely.’

He already seemed to miss John’s shameless, noisy chatter.

***

Ha-kyung parked his car at the Association branch.

Then he walked toward the destination.

The Gate Break had not yet begun in earnest.

Even so, dense Abyss Energy was spread everywhere.

“Cough! Cough!”

People kept coughing as they evacuated beyond its range.

When Ha-kyung alone moved against the flow, a police officer wearing a gas mask gestured at him.

“You there! Come this way immediately!”

“It is all right. I am an Awakened.”

There was no particular need to prove his identity.

He simply had to show his armor and weapon.

This was not the Middle Ages.

In the twenty-first century, how many people would walk around dressed like this?

However, the police officer had a duty to confirm it.

There were more deranged people in the world than one might think.

So Ha-kyung activated Abyss Refinement.

Fwoosh—!

Gray-White flames rose from his karambit.

At that, the police officer immediately accepted it.

“Ah... Good luck.”

“Yes, then.”

With a faint smile, Ha-kyung disappeared into the fog.

The concentration of Abyss Energy increased the farther he went.

The Awakened walking alongside him whispered in uneasy voices.

“This feels denser than most Abyss dungeons.”

“It looks that way to me too. It easily surpasses most Unknown Grade dungeons.”

“Just how enormous of a thing has burst open?”

Gate Breaks occurred for many reasons.

The most basic type was dungeon oversaturation.

It happened when the activity of the Awakened beyond the Gate decreased.

However, what was the special trait of Koreans?

Were they not the hurry-hurry people?

Ha-kyung tilted his head.

‘If anything, there should be too few dungeons. There is no way it could have become oversaturated.’

It seemed there was another unknown cause.

As he continued walking inward, the destination finally appeared.

A thick structure made of reinforced concrete, twenty-five meters tall.

Ha-kyung immediately climbed onto the wall.

Soon, someone who had discovered him abruptly asked a question.

“Who are you?”

“I am Lee Ha-kyung, appointed as the Captain of the Eastern Defense Unit. How much of the unit has gathered?”

“......”

However, the other person gave no answer.

Ha-kyung found it strange.

Why on earth was he not speaking?

Of course, he had some guess as to why.

He quietly looked at the other man.

‘It must be because of my age.’

His vision, blurred by Abyss Energy, gradually became clearer.

The man standing before Ha-kyung looked to be around forty.

Taking into account that he was an Awakened, he was probably older than he appeared.

But what if the person who had come as the captain was a twenty-five-year-old brat?

Sure enough,

the other man did not hide his discomfort.

“I am Deputy Park Jun-ho. The gathering is nearly complete, and the Gate Break has not started yet.”

His voice was cold.

Moreover, Park Jun-ho turned away without even listening to Ha-kyung.

At that, the Awakened nearby swarmed after him.

It was a scene Ha-kyung could not understand.

‘No matter how offended he is, is that not going a little too far?’

Once the Gate Break ended, they would not have to see each other again anyway.

Why was he risking so much over a temporary position?

Just then, someone approached and spoke to him.

“Mr. Lee Ha-kyung?”

“Ah... It has been a while.”

It was Seo Jun-hyuk, the promising Healer of Black Water.

Ha-kyung had quite a deep connection with this person.

Back when everyone had been thrown out of the dungeon during the Abyss of Collapse, Seo Jun-hyuk had been able to escape danger thanks to Ha-kyung.

Afterward, he had also received a great deal of help from him in the Abyss of Loathing.

Perhaps because of that, his attitude was quite friendly.

Seo Jun-hyuk frowned as he looked at Park Jun-ho’s group.

“They are probably acting that way because they know exactly who you are, Mr. Ha-kyung.”

“Pardon? I do not know who they are.”

“That is only natural. They are not particularly famous, and you have never clashed with them directly.”

“Then you mean we became enemies indirectly.”

“That is right. Those people are from the Raiders Guild.”

“Ah...”

Ha-kyung nodded.

He had wondered why they were acting like that.

It seemed they were doing it because they were bandit bastards.

After all, Choi Hyun-ki, the Master of the Raiders, and Ha-kyung were bitter enemies.

Of course, it was a one-sided hatred where only the other side was making a fuss.

In any case, what mattered was not personal emotion.

Ha-kyung stared at the Gate that had turned pitch-black.

‘Public and private matters should be kept separate. Resolving the situation comes first.’

He began walking around on top of the wall.

He was merely acting according to the manual sent down by the Association.

However, even that seemed to displease the Raiders Guild members.

“This must be his first Gate Break. Does he even know what he is doing?”

“There is no way he does. No matter how much he shines inside a dungeon, he is still just a brat.”

“Just watch. Once things begin in earnest, his limits will be exposed quickly.”

“We need to take some humiliating shots and upload them to the Awakened Community.”

“Do not worry. That bastard’s useless antics will all be made into AI Raid Videos anyway.”

The murmuring voices kept spreading to the side.

There were ten Raiders Guild members in total, including Park Jun-ho.

They were a minority, but it was enough to stir up trouble.

At that, Seo Jun-hyuk, who had stayed beside Ha-kyung, flared up.

“Ugh! Seriously. These old men are too much. Even if they will not help, they should at least not get in the way.”

“It is fine. Leave them be.”

Seo Jun-hyuk looked ready to go over and argue if left alone, so Ha-kyung stopped him.

He was grateful.

But right now, doing that would only make the conflict larger.

Ha-kyung felt the Abyss Energy growing denser.

‘It will start soon.’

He looked at the Gate, which had turned pitch-black.

Then, at that very moment—

Thoom—!

A heavy wave burst out from the center.

At first, he thought it was a light shockwave.

The sound was so small, and its power was faint.

However, the farther it spread, the larger it became.

Moreover, the force that seemed to bind his entire body was far from ordinary.

And yet the other Awakened seemed to think little of it.

Gripping the Whisperer, Ha-kyung shouted instinctively.

“Everyone, get behind cover and brace yourselves!”

—Pardon?

“This is an order from the Defense Unit Captain. Everyone, take cover!”

Everyone looked bewildered, but they still at least made the gesture.

After all, the wall had large protrusions, so they only had to walk briefly.

However, there were always bastards who refused to listen.

The Raiders Guild members, including Park Jun-ho,

and some of the Awakened who sided with them.

Ha-kyung gave the order again.

“What are you doing? Take cover!”

Only then did several Awakened move.

However, Park Jun-ho and his group refused to move until the end.

They shrugged and smiled mockingly.

“There is nothing to be afraid of. That is just a signal that it is starting.”

“Tsk, tsk! Scared, are you? A brat would not know unless he had experienced a Break before.”

“This is why you should not put a novice in the captain’s seat.”

“Does the Association have any sense or not?”

At that, the other Awakened also looked uncomfortable.

What if, as they said, it truly was nothing?

Then only those who had listened to Ha-kyung’s order would end up looking foolish.

At that very moment,

BOOOOOOOM—!

The shockwave suddenly accelerated and struck the wall.

Even though they had hidden behind the protrusions, its power was so tremendous that it was difficult to keep their balance.

Naturally, those who had mocked Ha-kyung were all swept away.

Soon, with a tremendous roar, enormous forms began to appear.

[You have encountered the Field Boss, Grave Howler]

[You have encountered the Field Boss, Blight Reaver]

[You have encountered the Field Boss, Void Mauler]

[You have encountered the Field Boss, Night Stalker]

Four Abyss Field Bosses.

The aura each one gave off seemed to easily surpass Unknown Grade.

At the terrifying system messages, Seo Jun-hyuk clicked his tongue.

“Hah! What is this... Huh? Leader?”

He gave a hollow laugh and looked to the side.

But Ha-kyung, who had been hiding with him, was nowhere to be seen.

Seo Jun-hyuk had no choice but to panic.

The Deputy had been swept away by the shockwave.

And the Captain was also absent from his position.

The next command authority went to the Healer with the most seniority.

However, they had not even properly introduced themselves yet.

Seo Jun-hyuk quickly grabbed the Whisperer.

“The command team has collapsed! The command team has collapsed!”

—Damn it! There is a Field Boss right in front of us, so what are we supposed to do? Who is the next in command?

“That has not been determined yet.”

—Who is speaking on the radio right now?

“This is Seo Jun-hyuk, a Healer from Black Water.”

—A Healer? Good. Then you can take command.

“Pardon?”

—We have to draw aggro right now, so handle the rest yourself.

The voices of the manly Tanks came through the Whisperer.

Seo Jun-hyuk’s eyes shook violently.

“No, why is this trial falling on me...?”

Even so, he could not refuse.

A large-scale battle was imminent.

Where was there room to back out or hesitate?

While Seo Jun-hyuk fell into despair,

Ha-kyung was struggling with all his might at the edge of the wall.

“Grrrgh!”

Holding a bundle of Gray-White Refinement Ropes,

Ha-kyung braced his feet against a protrusion.

Below the wall, dozens of Awakened were dangling in the air.

They were the people who had ignored Ha-kyung’s order and been swept away by the shockwave.

Soon, he adjusted his grip on the Refinement Ropes with his left hand.

Then he began pulling them up one by one.

However, by coincidence, the first person dragged up was Park Jun-ho.

He was the Ranged Damage Dealer of the Raiders who had taken the lead in defying him.

Just before he was pulled back onto the wall, the two men’s eyes suddenly met.

Park Jun-ho asked Ha-kyung a question.

“Why on earth...”

It was probably a question about why Ha-kyung had saved them, even though there should have been nothing but hostility between them.

With his face twisted into a deep frown, Ha-kyung answered, “If you people die, who is going to stop those things?”

It was a single sentence that contained many meanings.