Chapter 26
Episode 2: Exodus / Chapter 26: Wyvern of Destruction (2)
TL: Myoni
Edited: Obelisk
There were 7 groups who were allied with Choi Hyuk.
Three were very aggressive -Jung Minji’s troops, The Alliance of Comrades in Arms and the Knights of the Korean National Sport University.
And although they lacked the explosive power of the aforementioned three, the other four allies were robust – Shinmyung Stronghold, Kangil Riverpark Stronghold, Seonsa Hyundai I’Park Stronghold and lastly, Cheonho Hyunhae Department Store Stronghold.
These strongholds were a large scale force centered around company employees and independent businessmen allied with students and people preparing for examinations.
On the 16th day, all allied forces assembled at the Hyunhae Department Store. They had initially discussed the formation of a suicide squad but the appearance of new rules made it so that they had to unite together.
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{Additional Rule}
Every night, the number of monsters that arrive through the portal increase by 20%.
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{Additional Rule}
After half a month, the monsters start to act in groups.
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{Additional Rule}
Supplies reduce significantly every 10 days.
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The additional rules that seemed the test the limits of humanity.
There were more than enough reasons to unite. To face the increasing number of monsters that will start to act in groups, humans had to be more tightly unified.
And another deciding reason was the reduction of supplies, to be exact, the limited supply of the Weakening Barrier. Food could be handled with emergency rations, adjustments of rations and from the stores that haven’t been emptied out yet. The number of people was also decreasing. However, if the Weakening Barrier collapses, there was no way to fight against the hordes of monsters.
Because of this, the more groups there were, the faster the consumption of these Weakening Barrier. There was a need to gather together and reduce the consumption of these barriers.
So all the forces, a total of 130,000 people, started to gather towards Hyunhae Department Store.
The reason they chose Hyunhae Department Store was simple.
There was a healer here.
**
There were a few large hospitals located in Kangdong District – Sungshin Hospital, Kyung Hee University Hospital, and Hyang Hospital.
On the first day, a game that was modified for these hospitals commenced.
A rule was given to the medical team.
{You are unable to leave unless you kill 3 patients.}
A rule was given to the patients.
{You are unable to leave unless you kill someone.}
After confirming the fact that they really couldn’t leave, chaos erupted. Still, no one immediately started to kill each other. Unlike the schools, the hospitals endured it a while longer.
However, four days… that was the limit. It had been a while since the food supply had been emptied out. The scene of monsters wandering around at night. These people who were starving and stressed became extremely sensitive.
The first to be killed were the critically ill patients who couldn’t resist.
The first time would be difficult but the second and third were easy. In one night, the dignity they had kept all this time collapsed. The medical team grouped up and attacked the weak patients. It was the same for the relatively healthy patients. And they left the hospital as a group. The hallways were filled with screams and profanity. Those who wanted to kill and those who resisted as well as those who wanted to stop them tangled together. While the people who wanted to kill and the people who wanted to stop them got into a fight, an incident occurred and someone died.
Eventually, someone had died.
Bae Jinman was a respected doctor. He wielded a baseball bat at his juniors and even those he could call his disciples who were pushing their way through the hallway.
“Bastards! You call yourselves doctors?”
At the criticisms and the resistance of the respected doctor, the doctors who were pushing their way through retreated. A reason being the swing of the baseball-loving doctor was quite impressive.
After chasing the group away, Bae Jinman entered the critical care ward he was looking after. He locked the door and moved the beds to block the door.
The patients who laid on these beds looked at the doctor in fear. However, Bae Jinman smiled.
“Don’t worry.”
He looked after the patients.
After 5 days had passed, only dropouts remained. Those who had ensured their safety by hiding. Those who were unable to kill others. More than ten of these people were spread throughout the hospital as they held the guard against each other.
Bae Jinman exited the critical care ward and he took care of the remaining people. In a hospital without any food, he nursed these patients alone.
After a week, a message appeared.
{Calculating your Retribution… Type. Healer. Patients Killed 0. Has continuously looked after the patients. Meets the requirements. Granted the ‘Guardian Trait’.}
At the same time, the around 20 patient he looked after turned into lights and were absorbed into his body.
“Uh… Huh?”
Every time a light was absorbed into his body, his Retribution and karma increased. Especially his Control and Recovery stats.
However, Bae Jinman wasn’t happy. In his eyes, he only saw the figures of the patients who had disappeared.
“So…”
Tears welled up in his eyes.
“So they ended up dying in the end…”
He slumped onto the floor and bawled. A body that had not eaten or had drunk anything, he sobbed his heart out but only a few drops of tears would drop at a time before drying up.
And that was the birth of the only healer in Kangdong District.
**
Guardian, Bae Jinman’s blessing has been cast.
“Get up!”
With his shout, a hazy light shined above the heads of the 40,000 people assembled in front of Hyunhae Department Store.
Lalala.
It was almost as they could hear the music. Without realizing it, these people started to mumble to the tune. Though it was as hazy as a fog, the small lights above countless people’s heads were connecting to each other.
They felt a feeling of unity and fellowship that one would feel at a huge concert. They all mumbled and watched as these lights connected with each other. An exceptional scene that brought tears to their eyes.
The skill {Get up} was a support skill that would increase one’s courage, awareness as well as their sense of comradery.
As the skill was cast on tens of thousands of people, its effect was slight. However, as these people experienced the same scene at the same time, they did feel a sense of security and kinship. And one couldn’t ignore the sense of comfort it gave them as well. To these people who continuously lived in a cruel environment with their lives on the line, the comfort felt from {Get up} was much greater than expected.
Just as the scene was about to end, the leader of Shinmyung Stronghold, Kang Dongsoo took the lead. He was chosen to be the commander of their first expedition. They had decided that they would form an expedition team every day and that the position of commander would switch between the leaders of the various allied forces.
Kang Dongsoo shouted.
“We have 13 days left! There are currently 19 portals left! Currently, around 40,000 monsters are pouring through them every night! The situation looks bleak! I even feel that our demise is imminent. However, will that truly be the case? Will our strength only amount to that? Is this all the strength we humans who rose to the top without hides or fangs have? Let’s show them how strong we are! To them! And to those unknown bastards who created this fucking game! And above all, to ourselves! It is time to show our strength!”
“Ouahhhhh!”
Due to the high amount of karma, there was no need to use a microphone. Kang Dongsoo’s words that were shouted from his guts clearly embedded themselves into each of the tens of thousands of people’s ears.
When the cheers hit their peak, Kang Dongsoo shot his hand up and shouted.
“Remember! The shielders block the front! Then the spearmen stab and the swordsmen end it! Ranged attackers will stay behind the lines and follow the vice commander’s orders! The detachment will support the crumbling frontlines! Let’s go! For victory!”
“Ouahhhhhh!”
“Vanguard!”
At Kang Dongsoo’s command, the vanguard charged forward. The area of the expedition was the point near three portals.
It was the place Lee Jinhee scouted in the morning. Countless monsters were gathered in the Amsadong Pre-historic Settlement Sight.
The large-scale troops started their expedition to reduce the number of monsters and to destroy the portals.
**
Crash!
Humans and monsters were crashing into each other.
After 17 days, the abilities of these people had increased insignificantly. On average, at least two stats had reached the 1-star. As they were still in the process of increasing all their stats, it wouldn’t be long until all their stats reached 1-star.
However, humans were still unable to face against the monsters one-on-one. Still, due to the use of a variety of tactics, 3 people show the power of 10. The only problem was that the monsters were using a variety of tactics as well.
“Ackk!”
A 2m tall, 5m long crook charged forward. It was difficult for the shielders to block it. If the shielders were unable to endure and were pushed back, the whole line would break down. Then the Bladed Starving Ghosts would that opportunity to slash at them with their long blades and the Shadow Teeth would penetrate their lines.
“Push them back! Push them back!”
If the monsters penetrated their front lines, they would stab with their spears, slash with their swords and the returning shielders would push them back. It was an intense fight.
There were areas where humans had the advantage. Due to their tall body structure, they were quite agile and were quite talented in using formations in group battles. However, as the monsters had much better stats overall, all they could do was not be pushed back and endure.
“Keuk!”
A person’s head was cut off by the blades of a Bladed Starving Ghost… and that very ghost was stabbed with a spear…
Even while taking loses the vanguard was advancing one step at a time.
“Endure! Follow them! You can’t fall behind! If we fall behind, the suicide squad will die!”
That moment, Choi Hyuk and a suicide squad made up of 100 members were doing their best to open up a path. A dream team made up of Choi Hyuk and only the most elite members of each of the 7 groups, excluding their kings. They were powerful members whose stats have all already reached 1-star.
In addition to that, Choi Hyuk distributed the E rank items he had collected up until now.
The 100 members of the suicide squad were warriors who had the skills, karma and the items to call themselves strong.
And with Choi Hyuk at the front, they were a crushing force. In a triangle formation, they penetrated the main force and opened up a path. Then the vanguard would follow. Of course, that wasn’t easy.
“Are we still not there yet? At this rate, we’ll be exhausted before we even reach the portals.”
Lee Jinhee who didn’t slow down and slashed the necks of the Bladed Starving Ghosts asked with a tired expression.
“We have to go a bit further. We have to stand at the center of the main enemy forces.”
Baek Seoin explained.
Currently, the main force was in a HakIkJin{1} formation surrounded by monsters.
10,000 members of the vanguard troops were treading forward penetrating the enemy forces. Perhaps it was due to the fact that this place had 3 portals but the strength of the monster army was formidable. It looked like there were more than 30,000 monsters. It was a number that the vanguard couldn’t handle by themselves. Still, the main force was on standby as the vanguard tried their best to pierce into the center of the enemy forces.
For that one moment.
Choi Hyuk had finally reached the center and took out a Weakening Barrier scroll.
“Barrier, activate!”
At his shout, the scroll burned up and a snow-white cover spread out in a circle.
Whoosh!
The moment the cover passed over a monster, it would falter. In the case of the crooks that moved quickly, there were some that smashed their heads on the ground. As their physical abilities dropped to half in an instant, their movements became all tangled.
Kang Dongsoo who saw this from afar smiled. However, he said in a teasing tone.
“Ha… why does a fellow who doesn’t have many men have so many Weakening Barrier?”
While everyone was having difficulty with the amount of Weakening Barrier scrolls, Choi Hyuk, who had monopolized the supplies, had 10 Weakening Barrier scrolls.
As soon as the suicide squad was formed, Choi Hyuk took out the Weakening Barrier scrolls not for defense but instead, for the offence. Like now.
“All troops! Charge!”
At Kang Dongsoo’s command, the main force that was in the HakIkJin formation rushed towards the monsters’ headquarters. The monsters that had their abilities reduced to half were not a match for them.
As Kang Dongsoo started his charge, Choi Hyuk and the suicide squad started their real mission.
“Suicide squad! Destroy the portal! Battle of speed! We ignore those who fall behind!”
Kiririk!
His karma explosively compressed and expanded. The Predator’s Blade was splitting the monsters in two.
Swoosh! Stab! Stab!
The spear thrown by a javelin thrower from the Korean National Sport University pierced two Bladed Starving Ghosts like a kabab.
Thud! Thud!
Lee Jinhee lightly jumped up and, without intending to land on the ground, stepped on the monsters as she stabbed the foreheads of monsters.
Bang!
Baek Seoin’s shield bash shattered the face of a large crook.
The attack of the suicide squad had begun.
{1} A crane wing formation developed by Admiral Lee Sun-sin who developed the renowned turtle ship.