Monsters were charging along a road that looked like a massive trench.
The monsters were grouped by species, running together in clusters. They consisted of huge lizards, ants, and brown wolves.
And at the point where the path ended and opened into a wide field, Grace and the Defense-type Awakened stood side by side, raising their shields.
“Everyone, inject Dimensional Power into your shields! We have to detonate them the moment we collide!”
Grace shouted to the Awakened.
The Defense-type Awakened’s shields began to glow brightly.
Among the white-glowing shields, a few red ones stood out. They were Grace’s and team leader Han’s shields.
Grace smiled inwardly. Team Crazy was definitely different from the others. They were using equipment made from monster materials, which Link Corp had just started distributing exclusively to Linkers.
While she was momentarily distracted, the brown wolves leading the charge pounced. Grace shouted loudly.
“Now!”
At Grace’s command, the wolves collided with the Awakened’s shields.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion echoed out.
The wolves, nearly as big as bulls, were flung backward. Some of them even sprayed blood as they tumbled away.
A smile bloomed across Grace’s face. Their coordination was better than expected.
Just now, the Defense-type Awakened had activated their powers simultaneously, creating a joint formation. The resonance of their abilities had produced much greater repulsion than usual.
The E-rank brown wolf she had faced was being torn apart midair by the force of the repulsion.
It was a good start.
She glanced toward the direction of the heli-cam and began pouring Dimensional Power back into her shield.
Yonghoon had retreated slightly to the rear with the other Strike-type Awakened.
He nodded as he watched the Defense-type Awakened holding back the monsters. At this rate, it seemed the defense of Asan would succeed.
Grace, standing at the center and blocking the monsters’ attacks with dazzling moves, was especially striking.
Yonghoon gave a wry smile at her standout performance among the other Awakened. It wasn’t just a difference in level, but also in combat experience.
Boom!
The third collision ended.
With this clash, all the charging monsters had been halted. It was time for the Strike-type Awakened to step in.
Yonghoon glanced at the heli-cam and then rushed forward. The thought that he couldn’t move freely because of those cameras annoyed him a little.
Yonghoon and the Strike-type Awakened passed through the Defense-type Awakened and charged into the monsters.
Even though Yonghoon held back some of his skills because of the cameras, the difference between him and the others was still overwhelming. The sight of a C-rank Awakened with ten years of combat experience fighting was truly brilliant.
Grace sliced through an E-rank ant with a single stroke and lifted her head.
There, a man was advancing, painting the battlefield red with blood.
It was Yonghoon.
He seemed delighted by the chaotic battle, swinging his spear freely.
“He’s really amazing.”
Grace blasted off the head of a charging lizard and looked at Yonghoon. She gazed at him with an enraptured expression as he plunged into the wolf pack.
Yonghoon swung his spear as he advanced. He left his back completely exposed, focusing all his attention on the wolves before him.
“Ah! Watch out!”
While checking on Yonghoon during the fight, Grace let out a small cry.
A D-rank Soldier Ant had approached Yonghoon’s back and was raising its sharp mandibles toward him. But Yonghoon, unaware of the danger behind him, continued to deal only with the wolves ahead.
The Soldier Ant’s head lunged toward Yonghoon.
Clack!
But the Soldier Ant’s head stopped before it could touch Yonghoon’s back. Grace turned her head in surprise. Behind the Defense-type Awakened, a female Awakened was seen raising her hand.
“An interference-type Assassin-type Awakened?”
Grace wore a slightly surprised expression. Even among Assassin-types, such Awakened were rare. She turned her gaze back to Yonghoon.
The Soldier Ant, which had been frozen, began to tremble as it tried to move its body. It looked like the paralysis would soon wear off.
It was then.
Two Awakened appeared behind the Soldier Ant and drove two spears into the monster’s waist. They were a male and a female Strike-type Awakened.
The Soldier Ant screamed, and meanwhile, Yonghoon, who had wiped out the wolf pack, turned to face the Soldier Ant.
“I’m jealous.”
Grace’s expression turned a little wistful as she watched Team Crazy fight. She thought of her own team that had been annihilated six years ago, leaving her behind.
But she shook her head, steeling herself against the rising sadness. This wasn’t the time to get lost in thought. Thanks to Yonghoon and Team Crazy’s efforts, things had become easier.
Grace raised her sword high.
“Defense-type Awakened, attack as well! Let’s finish this!”
At her command, the Defense-type Awakened who had been forming barriers began advancing forward.
As time passed, the intense battle began to show signs of ending. The number of monsters coming down the passageway was steadily decreasing.
Yonghoon thrust his spear into a wolf before him and caught his breath. There were no more monsters around him to fight. He felt a slight sense of regret.
But because of the heli-cam flying overhead, it seemed better to wrap things up here.
Jimin and Kangwoo, who had been supporting Yonghoon, also leaned on their spears and sighed.
“Still, it looks like this will end pretty easily. And whoever came up with that trench tactic is a genius. It’s perfect for picking off the monsters one by one.”
At Jimin’s words, Kangwoo nodded.
Yonghoon and the team members retreated to the rear.
Now the defense had shifted into a long-term posture. Awakened who had fought enough, like Team Crazy, withdrew behind the defense line for a brief rest before returning to battle.
It was all thanks to the monsters attacking sporadically.
“Man, I’m exhausted. I wish we could always dig trenches and fight like this.”
At Jimin’s comment, Kangwoo shook his head.
“It’s only possible because the blocking device was installed in a quiet area between cities. If it were in the middle of a city, no way.”
Dohyeon, who handed a water bottle to the group, grumbled briefly.
“Still, I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get to shine. I worked so hard to become D-rank, and now it’s over like this! Isn’t anything special going to happen?”
Thunk!
A team leader Han’s knuckle strike landed squarely on Dohyeon’s head.
“Words can become reality. Don’t say things like that carelessly.”
Dohyeon clutched his head and groaned. But since what team leader Han said was true, he couldn’t even argue back.
It was then.
Everyone suddenly received a communication from the Control Room.
[A giant monster over 30 meters long has appeared southwest of Asan City. It is destroying buildings and moving straight toward the blocking device!]
The resting Awakened, including Team Crazy, turned their heads toward Asan City.
The smoke that had been rising here and there was now gone, and only a single column of black smoke was rising behind the distant city. Even as they watched, the smoke seemed to thicken.
Team Crazy members all looked at Dohyeon. Dohyeon wore an awkward expression under their gazes.
The Control Room continued sending support requests.
[We need support from the Awakened at the Asan defense line! The monster that appeared looks like a turtle. It is cutting straight through residential areas, causing massive civilian casualties. Soldiers are evacuating people, but there’s not enough time!]
Grace bit her lip as she listened to the transmission. The battle here had mostly calmed down, so they could spare some forces.
Grace looked up at the sky. The heli-cam was still floating there.
But they couldn’t move to a place with massive civilian casualties while carrying those cameras.
Sure, they could edit the footage later, but there would be a serious lack of battle footage.
Moreover, it was a Defense-type turtle monster. It was an extremely bad match for a speed-type Awakened like herself.
No matter how she thought about it, it seemed she had to stay here.
In the end, she began looking for a team that could go in her place.
All the members of Team Crazy were looking at Yonghoon.
Their expressions were all asking Yonghoon what they should do.
In their eyes was the hope that Yonghoon would make the decision to help people.
But Yonghoon couldn’t easily agree with their thoughts.
If it was a 30-meter turtle monster, it was almost certainly a D+-rank turtle monster, close to C-rank. Turtle-type monsters were extremely tricky to deal with.
The turtle’s shell made of bone made it difficult for Assassin-types to find the Dimensional Core. And if it was a special-type turtle, it likely even had an innate ability.
If they fought such a monster, maybe he would be fine, but there was a high chance the team members would be in danger.
“Captain, please~”
Jimin pleaded toward Yonghoon with a distressed expression. She was probably thinking of the kids at the orphanage.
Yonghoon looked around at his teammates. Team leader Han, Kangwoo, and Dohyeon all had faces full of desperate hope to save people.
Finally, Sunhee was gazing steadily at Yonghoon.
Yonghoon’s heart sank. Her face was exactly the same as when she had asked him for a favor back in the other world.
In the other world, she couldn’t bear the sight of civilians dying due to the trauma of losing her parents before her eyes. After that, whenever she spotted civilians in danger, she would gaze at Yonghoon, and he would grant her request.
But the Sunhee before him now was not her.
Yonghoon raised his hand to his ear and asked a question to the Control Room.
“What form does the turtle monster that appeared take?”
The other side, which had been silent for a moment at Yonghoon’s question, responded.
“It has a shell on its back that juts out sharply like a mountain and is said to be incredibly ugly. It apparently looks like a turtle-shaped monster from a movie.”
Yonghoon realized what kind of turtle it was. It was an alligator snapping turtle. He smiled at the reply. If it was that thing, it was worth a try.
Yonghoon looked at Sunhee.
She was staring at Yonghoon with a hardened expression. He nodded. The Sunhee now was a worthy opponent.
After a brief thought, Yonghoon nodded. His teammates’ faces lit up.
It seemed everyone had been worried that Yonghoon might refuse. Since Yonghoon was extremely cold-headed outside of battle, they had all been prepared for a rejection.
Having decided to go support, Yonghoon turned his head to look at Grace. She was deep in thought as she surveyed the teams.
It was time to make up for the loss.
Yonghoon strode toward her.
“Are you looking for a team to dispatch to the city?”
At his sudden words, Grace looked at Yonghoon. Seeing him looking at her, she quickly came to her senses.
“Yes, I’m in a situation where it’s difficult for me to move, so I need help.”
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke. Seeing Yonghoon, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope.
Yonghoon nodded at her words.
“Then Team Crazy will go provide support.”
Grace’s face brightened at Yonghoon’s words.
Having Team Crazy provide support was the best option, but it was difficult for her to easily send a non-company Awakened team to another area. Moreover, if she sent ordinary Awakened instead of the Company Team, there would surely be complaints.
Hearing that Team Crazy would move first lifted a great burden off her shoulders. If Team Crazy could just buy them a little time, they could wipe out the monsters here and then join the others to finish off the rest.
If they were lucky, and Team Crazy could lure the turtle monster to an area without civilians, she couldn’t ask for more.
As Grace was thinking that, Yonghoon continued.
“In return, if we happen to capture the turtle monster, we will handle its disposal ourselves. Please just give us a definite answer on that.”
Yonghoon attached one condition to their support.
Normally, the ownership of a hunted monster belonged to the Awakened who hunted it, but for such a unique and massive monster, Link System would likely be drooling over it. It was necessary to get a prior agreement from a Link Corp powerhouse.
Grace tilted her head at Yonghoon’s words.
It sounded like Yonghoon was speaking as if he would actually capture the monster. Even with C-rank members, it wasn’t a monster that an ordinary D-rank team could handle alone.
But time was short. There was no time to argue over details.
Grace nodded at Yonghoon’s words.
Having received Grace’s confirmation, Team Crazy began running toward the city. Black smoke was rising ahead of them.