Chapter 186. Shadow Assassination, Yueying (2)
American Awakened Association.
In a room with marble tables and antique chairs, a man and a woman sat facing each other.
A handsome 180cm tall man with blond hair, Hegis, who was in charge of the emergency support team.
Similarly, a woman with blond hair that fell to her waist, named Ashley.
“Team Leader!”
Ashley raised her voice.
The table shook, but Hegis remained unflappable.
“As I said. There is no support.”
“Why on earth not? Right now, players from the Lockheed Guild are trapped inside the maze. You know this, Team Leader!”
“Of course, I’m aware. However, Ms. Ashley, you must also understand that with the guilds available at present, we can’t handle monsters of that difficulty level. There’s too little information. Naturally, the risks will also increase.”
“Then we could simply use Freedman’s ability to gather evidence and, based on that, request support from other countries…!”
“That’s exactly why there is no support.”
Hegis tilted the bottle of whiskey on the table.
The yellow liquid poured over the ice.
“That’s… why?”
“If this information is leaked, other countries would definitely be on guard. In fact, guilds in Europe and India are preparing to invade the maze, and we might deter them from entering the maze altogether, right?”
“You can’t be serious…”
Ashley could grasp the implications of Hegis’s words even without him continuing further.
In the realm of rivals, maintaining a balance of power is crucial.
If one side collapses, it could no longer be considered a rivalry.
“Are you saying you’re deliberately letting other countries’ raid teams go in? To… kill them all?”
“It’s the only way to offset the damage we’ve suffered.”
“That’s criminal. No, even setting aside legal issues, how could a human…”
“Let’s call it rational. We must make these sacrifices to remain a powerful nation.”
Hegis sipped his whiskey.
Contempt and rage sculpted Ashley’s face.
“I’m going to report this directly to the President of the Association. If it’s him…”
“The Association’s President, full of justice, would surely offer support. But he’s not here at the moment. Plus, the evidence will disappear along with Freedman. I would hate for you to suffer the same fate as him simply for being indiscreet.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“I’m warning you.”
“….”
Ashley bit her lip.
She almost felt nauseous from the repulsion she felt towards her counterpart.
“I’ll be leaving now.”
“Do so. And don’t forget what I said.”
Ashley kicked the door and left the office.
She wanted to do something, but as Hegis said, if Freedman doesn’t come out of there alive, her efforts would be in vain.
There would be no evidence left.
‘I should have disobeyed and shared my view with the world anyway.’
Of course, it was a pointless hypothesis at this point. Freedman, presumably dead or depleted of mana by now, would have no need to use the shared vision skill again.
But at that moment.
Vroom!
[A request for ‘Shared Vision’ from Freedman has been received.]
Once thought dead, Freedman was contacting her again.
‘It’s impossible. How could he still be alive in that situation?’
An overwhelmingly disadvantageous power difference.
She had thought there was no hope… but how did he?
The moment Ashley saw something in the footage, her pupils dilated in shock.
No doubt about it.
That unforgettable mask and… overwhelming abilities.
The only person capable of this was him.
Her hesitation was brief.
[Live broadcast is starting.]
The footage was broadcast all over the world.
＊＊＊
Like hungry hyenas looking for new thrills and fodder, the community members were captivated by a fresh and new video.
This one feeds their craving.
A live broadcast captured everyone’s attention.
Specifically, footage of a maze being transmitted due to a player’s skill.
-Great Pork Belly: A live broadcast from the 8th floor? Is this for real?
-one Grandma Bossam: Wasn’t it impossible to broadcast from there? I heard there are a lot of areas you can’t broadcast from because of some barrier or something.
-Mochi Hamtaro: Yeah. That’s why they only turn on the video at the entrance and cut it once inside.
New Pioneer: It’s a player skill. Seems like it has a unique effect that managed to penetrate it.
Cat Tower Yumi: Freedman? First time hearing about this player?
Speed Wagon: A member of the Lockheed Guild, a medium- to large-sized guild in America. A close-combat ranker with expedition experience in 3 dungeons and 1 labyrinth. This has been Speed Wagon.
Howling Castle’s Epic Move: Wait. Isn’t that Unknown?
When someone mentioned this, viewers’ focus intensified.
Unknown.
While not much was known, it was academically accepted that they were among the world’s top rankers.
The arrival of a rare rising star immediately heated up the discussion board.
In no time, the live broadcast saw viewers skyrocket from the hundreds to thousands, and within 10 minutes, they broke into five figures.
When the figures easily surpassed six digits in a few minutes, media outlets began to take notice too.
LovePack: Wow, it’s real. The real Unknown!
Howling Castle’s Epic Move: Seems like it. Can you see how the monsters explode whenever they move?
one Grandma Bossam: This is insane. Is that even humanly possible? It’s monstrous!
Returned Kim Godgod: I’d sooner believe this was CG, lol. I can only be amazed, for real.
New Pioneer: The only player that could match up to Kang Jinhyuk.
The landscape ruptured, and admiration filled everyone’s mouths.
It was inevitable.
The martial arts displayed shattered the foundations of their known world.
Moreover.
They knew this was only the beginning, not the end, so their anticipation for the outcome kept rising at an exponential pace.
＊＊＊
The ground was completely torn asunder.
Mounds of dirt and carcasses evoked the sheer strength of the recent attack.
“You dare…!”
Atasha voiced out her rage.
She survived thanks to shielding herself with her wings, but they lost their splendor, stained with dust and blood.
For Atasha, who was once so proud, this was an assault to her pride.
Her face was flushed with barely controlled fury.
“That’s what I told you. Don’t send underlings, come out yourself.”
Had she come out sooner, she could have reduced the casualties. Instead, all this blood was shed for nothing.
‘Well, thanks to this, I got my fair share of experience points.’
Thanks to wiping out those monsters, his level had risen by one.
Only gaining one level despite the number of opponents hinted at the significant experience needed.
Jinhyuk shook his head leisurely while witnessing the sight, sparks of regret in Atasha’s eyes as she lost her cool.
“Damn it. Enough games!”
Atasha spread her wings wide.
At the tips, yellow lightning began to shimmer.
[Atasha activates Lv13 ‘Lightning Strike’!]
Clouds gathered ominously above the maze.
Dark, threatening clouds.
‘It must be the thunderbird type.’
Jinhyuk looked up. Even as a well-seasoned warrior, he knew that taking a lightning strike head-on would leave him charred on the inside and out.
But dodging lightning was nonsensical.
“I’ll turn you all into ashes!”
Atasha pointed her finger downwards.
Dozens of lightning bolts fell at the same time.
Booom!
The strikes were aimed directly at Jinhyuk and the Black Wind Guild’s members.
Or so they seemed, until they were intercepted by walls of earth and water.
[Undine & Gnome activate ‘Elemental Shield’!]
The shield created by the innate abilities of Undine and Gnome wrapped perfectly around Jinhyuk.
‘Hmm.’
‘It’s quite useful.’
As expected of mid-level elementals, they commanded their elements with excellence.
He’d almost forgotten about their capabilities because they were often used for mundane tasks, but…
These creatures once guarded the 25th floor labyrinth and had the strength to fight against a floor boss like the thunderbird themselves.
“Why are elemental spirits siding with mere humans! This is truly infuriating!”
“We don’t have much choice either.”
“Yeah. We’ve been through a lot together.”
Undine and Gnome sighed softly.
“You’ll regret choosing the wrong side.”
“We’re already full of regret.”
“Just a little… Actually, quite a lot.”
Since they were already in remorse, further dialogue was meaningless.
All that remained was to annihilate each other with full force.
“All of you, swept away!”
Following Atasha’s command, the waiting monsters charged.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Kraaagh!”
“Hoaaah!”
Hundreds of orcs and interspersed ogres roared in unison.
Flying beasts and burrowing arthropods also joined the fray.
While each individual might be weak, the synergy they generated as a collected force was not to be ignored.
“Yueying!”
Jinhyuk yelled out.
“Your orders!”
As if waiting for the command, Yueying and the Black Wind Guild sprang into action.
Tap!
Leaping lightly, the shadows vanished.
Inhabitants of Murim, armed with swords and daggers, dived straight into the monsters.
With that, the two factions clashed directly.
Slash!
The signal of battle was Yueying’s sword.
His sword, fully exerting blade energy, sliced off the heads of three charging orcs in one swing.
Immediately, a whirlwind of slashes followed.
Swoosh!
A formidable force capable of slicing through anything it touched—’Sword Energy.’
Against such sword energy, the orcs’ armor may as well have been nonexistent.
Of course.
Bang!
If the opponent possessed equal strength, the tale would differ.
“Ugh!”
“Master!”
Melena and Yueying let out urgent cries.
Jinhyuk also sensed the disturbance.
“What’s this…?”
Swift and sharp.
At an utterly unexpected moment, a new variable entered the fray.
