Sunhee stared at the monsters charging at her and unleashed Dimensional Power through her outstretched hands. The Dimensional Power, converted through her assassin abilities, enveloped the entire area where the monsters were rushing in.
Thanks to the previous battle, Sunhee had finally advanced to C-Rank. As she ran toward this place, she realized that her innate ability had expanded upon reaching C-Rank.
As the Dimensional Power spread over the area, Sunhee could perceive the Dimensional Cores of all the charging monsters through senses other than sight.
About ten F-Rank and E-Rank Dimensional Cores and one D-Rank Dimensional Core.
She clenched her outstretched hands tightly.
Crash!
At that moment, the monsters charging at Sunhee and Yonghoon tumbled to the ground.
Sunhee had struck the monsters’ Dimensional Cores. Although it was hard to penetrate the Dimensional Power of high-level monsters, she could easily breach and shock the Dimensional Power of low-level ones.
Sunhee’s face turned pale after knocking the monsters down. There had been unexpected backlash. The shock she delivered to the monsters had also rebounded onto her.
More than ten monsters collapsed to the ground.
However, she saw one bug with multiple legs getting back up. It seemed to be a D-rank monster. As expected, its recovery from shock was fast due to its high level.
Unable to use her abilities immediately after the shock, Sunhee turned her head to look at Yonghoon. It seemed he also hadn’t fully recovered from the shock yet.
But unlike Sunhee, Yonghoon wore a calm expression. Familiar Dimensional Powers were approaching from behind him.
“We’re not late, right?”
Jimin, who had run the fastest, shouted as she saw Sunhee and Yonghoon.
At her cry, Yonghoon immediately pointed ahead. Jimin saw a monster rising from the direction he pointed.
She brushed past Sunhee and Yonghoon to confront the monster. Other team members followed, charging toward the monster.
Fortunately, thanks to Yonghoon’s attack, the turtle monster’s ability to attract people seemed to have been paralyzed. The team members began fighting the monster without any issues.
“Huff, huff, I feel like I’m dying.”
Dohyeon, who arrived only after the others had started fighting the D-rank monster, was gasping for air, his face pale.
“Take a break for now.”
Yonghoon told Dohyeon to rest and stood up. His face had returned to normal, having recovered from the explosion’s shock.
Yonghoon drew the sword from his waist. His spear had been completely destroyed by the earlier explosion. He had been prepared for this loss, even if it cost hundreds of millions.
Holding the sword in one hand, Yonghoon charged at the monsters. He wasn’t heading toward the D-rank monster the team members were fighting but toward other monsters that were just beginning to stir.
He drove his sword into the heads of the monsters lying on the ground. The E-Rank and F-Rank monsters, unable to even move, met their end under Yonghoon’s blade.
“Captain, what did you do before becoming an Awakened? Were you in some special forces? When you’re calm, you really seem used to this kind of fighting.”
Dohyeon, having caught his breath a bit, admired Yonghoon.
Yonghoon, with an expressionless face, was ending the monsters’ lives.
Sunhee agreed with Dohyeon’s thoughts.
She looked at Yonghoon. Sometimes, he fought monsters with a tired expression, as if he had been fighting them for decades.
He wasn’t just a Linker; he had secret techniques for growing faster than others, ways to kill monsters easily, and many more secrets unknown to others.
Sunhee and the other team members were starting to sense it too, but they believed Yonghoon would tell them someday, so they waited.
After eliminating all the E-Rank monsters, Yonghoon immediately joined the team’s battle. The D-rank bug that had been fighting the team evenly was instantly defeated with Yonghoon’s arrival.
As countless legs were severed by Yonghoon’s sword, the bug flipped over, exposing its belly, and soon had no choice but to stop breathing under Jimin and Kangwoo’s attacks.
“Ugh, this is exhausting.”
Jimin gasped, her face pale. Kangwoo and team leader Han looked no different. Having run all that distance only to jump straight into battle, it was no wonder they were exhausted.
“Why is that big guy just standing there? Did the captain land a hit?”
Team leader Han, catching his breath, looked at the turtle monster with a puzzled expression. As he stared, his knees buckled, and he staggered.
Seeing that, Yonghoon shouted at the team members.
“Everyone, raise your Dimensional Power and move away from the monster!”
At Yonghoon’s words, the other team members, whose faces had turned pale, hurriedly raised the Dimensional Power within their bodies.
Yonghoon looked back at the turtle monster. Its mouth was slightly open. It seemed that strange ability had recovered. Soon, its eyes would surely heal too.
The team members who had raised their Dimensional Power quickly retreated to where Sunhee and Dohyeon were. Only then did the dizzying sensation completely disappear. It seemed even Awakened were affected if they got too close.
Regaining their composure, the team members looked up at the turtle monster towering before them. Their heads tilted back.
“How are we supposed to kill that thing?”
Jimin said in a voice full of disbelief.
“I can’t sense its Dimensional Core. Its size is one thing, but because of its thick shell, we can’t locate the core.”
Sunhee, having barely recovered from the shock, explained to the team members.
The team members were flustered by the unprecedented situation. It was their first time talking in front of a monster and their first time having no way to attack.
“Should we just wait it out? Anyway, according to Sunhee noona, the captain blinded the monster’s eyes, right?”
Dohyeon, who had heard about the earlier events from Sunhee, spoke up. Having been scolded for acting rashly before arriving, he was now more cautious.
“No, we can’t. It’s healing. We don’t know when it’ll fully recover.”
Sunhee shook her head at his suggestion.
Eventually, everyone’s eyes turned to Yonghoon.
Yonghoon raised his hand to his earpiece.
“This is Kang Yonghoon from Team Crazy. If we contaminate the turtle monster, can we immediately begin bombardment? There’s a high chance the shell won’t be destroyed, so we must focus precision attacks on the face and legs.”
A reply immediately came through the earpiece.
[This is Captain Lee Wooyeol of the 2nd Battalion. We’ve been waiting for that order. All strike teams, except those evacuating civilians, are standing by outside the monster’s range. Just give the signal!]
The captain’s voice was filled with pent-up frustration.
“Huh? Didn’t Sunhee unnie say she couldn’t contaminate it?”
Jimin tilted her head at Yonghoon’s words. The other team members also looked puzzled.
It was then.
Kangwoo, who had been keeping an eye on the turtle monster, frowned and spoke.
“Something’s weird. It looks like light is leaking from the monster’s mouth.”
At his words, all the team members looked at the monster’s mouth, and Yonghoon and Sunhee, who had seen that light earlier, were startled.
“Damn it, dodge!”
Yonghoon tried to create a spatial hole in front of them, but the turtle monster was faster. Its mouth opened wide, and a massive energy orb shot out.
The turtle monster, having suffered great damage from Yonghoon’s earlier attack, had learned its lesson and gathered Dimensional Power with its mouth closed. And its trick had succeeded.
The energy orb fired by the turtle monster flew straight toward the apartment complex.
Boom!
The energy orb collided with the apartment with a deafening roar.
Fortunately, because the monster couldn’t see, the energy orb only struck the outer edge of the apartment.
The turtle monster’s energy orb blew off one corner of the apartment, but the building’s center remained intact, so it didn’t seem like it would collapse.
Instead, the Crazy Team underneath the apartment was caught in the disaster.
Debris from the shattered apartment rained down, showering the Crazy Team below.
“Damn it! Everyone, get behind me!”
Team leader Han raised his shield and shouted. But it was no use. His small shield couldn’t protect everyone.
Fortunately, the team had another Awakened.
“Eek!”
Dohyeon raised both arms toward the falling debris. Gritting his teeth, he poured Dimensional Power upward.
Dimensional Power exploded from his body, and the debris raining down on the team began to bounce away one by one. Veins bulged from Dohyeon’s face and arms.
Dohyeon’s efforts were remarkable. The debris that had been about to crush the team was deflected in all directions by his telekinesis.
Once the sky above them was clear, Dohyeon collapsed backward with a satisfied smile. Having exhausted all his Dimensional Power, he had fainted.
“We can’t let it fire again! Captain, do something!”
Team leader Han shouted at Yonghoon, his eyes bloodshot. He had seen apartment residents who couldn’t evacuate get caught in the explosion.
Yonghoon quickly surveyed the surroundings. The explosion had kicked up so much dust that visibility was obscured.
Yonghoon approached Sunhee.
“Get ready to contaminate it!”
“Yes!”
Sunhee didn’t know what Yonghoon planned, but she trusted him and gathered Dimensional Power within her body.
Yonghoon wrapped his arms around Sunhee’s waist.
“Eh?”
The team members were surprised by Yonghoon’s unexpected action, and Sunhee’s face turned bright red. But Yonghoon, with a calm face, stared straight ahead. The space in front of him began to ripple.
After advancing to C-Rank, Yonghoon felt his spatial ability had improved. There were signs that the innate ability of his spatial power was beginning to bloom. However, it wouldn’t activate easily.
Even so, his spatial ability continued to evolve.
Through the hole in front of him, Yonghoon saw the jagged shell of the alligator snapping turtle monster. Gritting his teeth, he pushed the hole forward.
The turtle shell, visible through the rippling space, drew closer and closer to Yonghoon.
Soon, massive sparks erupted from the space in front of Yonghoon. At the same time, sparks also burst from the turtle monster’s back.
It was the repulsion between Dimensional Powers.
The exit of spatial movement that Yonghoon created was also made of Dimensional Power, which caused repulsion with the monster’s Dimensional Power.
Yonghoon’s mind grew hazy from the tremendous shock. The repulsion was much stronger than he had expected. However, if he stopped now, it would be worse than never starting. He gathered Dimensional Power with all his might.
Bang!
Suddenly, there was a hissing sound, and the sparks flashing between the turtle’s back and Yonghoon’s front disappeared.
Only a black hole remained in front of Yonghoon.
“Uwek!”
Yonghoon doubled over and coughed up blood. He hugged the startled Sunhee tightly and leapt into the black hole.
As soon as Yonghoon and Sunhee jumped into the hole, the black hole vanished.
Due to the massive dust cloud caused by the falling debris, no one except the team members noticed that Yonghoon and Sunhee had disappeared.
Sunhee realized she was suddenly standing in a black space where she could not see even an inch ahead.
She was startled by the sudden change in environment, but she was not particularly afraid. It was because she could feel Yonghoon’s arms wrapped around her waist.
“We’re under the turtle monster’s shell, on the ground, cough, place your hand down and feel for the Dimensional Core, here…… you should be able to find the Dimensional Core……”
Yonghoon’s voice was severely cracked.
Yonghoon felt that he had been significantly injured by the repulsion of Dimensional Power. At this rate, further combat would be impossible.
However, he had done everything he could. Now it was Sunhee’s turn.
Sunhee was worried by Yonghoon’s strained voice, but she did not forget what she had to do. She placed her hand on the ground. She felt the soft flesh of the monster under her hand. She sharpened her Dimensional Power and began searching for the monster’s Dimensional Core.
Just as the team members were bewildered by the sudden disappearance of the two, the turtle monster suddenly began to rampage.
“Kuaaaah!”
The turtle monster wildly shook its head and staggered in all directions. The already destroyed buildings and paving stones around it began to crumble again.
The team members, startled, quickly retreated to avoid the monster.
After a while, the turtle monster’s movements stopped.
Then, Sunhee’s voice reached the group’s ears.
[I’ve contaminated the monster’s Dimensional Core! Everyone, attack!]
As soon as her voice ended, Captain Lee’s command was given, and various shells trailing white tails flew at the monster from the surrounding buildings.
Soon, the massive body of the turtle monster was engulfed in flames.