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Episode 7
Unregistered Monster.
A monster not recorded in the database—in simple terms, a monster never observed before.
“Damn it… Everyone, prepare for deployment!”
“What about the guilds?”
“The guild summoning order has already been issued!”
Guild summoning order.
This meant headquarters had judged that the combat power of the Korean Academy of Public Safety alone would likely be insufficient to handle the situation.
“What type of monster is it?”
My Kijun, asked as he headed toward the combat equipment warehouse.
“A Rock Golem. But its size is abnormally large. Roughly about three stories tall.”
“Damn.”
A Rock golem, then…
“What about my mission, then…?”
“That will need to be confirmed on-site.”
Supporter-Assassin—a special position.
In a situation like this…
‘Most likely, my role will be to infiltrate the rear and distract the golem’s attention…’
The problem is that since it’s an unregistered monster, its weaknesses and such are completely unknown.
“Damn… For now, prepare all the armaments suited for a golem.”
“Understood, Team Leader.”
The frightening aspect of an unregistered monster is that even if it appears weak, you can’t approach it recklessly because you don’t know what abilities it possesses.
‘And what makes this particular unregistered monster even more dangerous is…’
“The damage is already severe. The ground floor of Times Square has already been destroyed.”
“We absolutely must prevent it from moving toward the department store…”
It has already inflicted significant damage.
‘The initial suppression failed, so it’s a very powerful entity.’
In the case of unregistered monsters, since their abilities are unknown, they attempt suppression from the outset by deploying strong forces.
“So that means they failed…”
“Come to think of it, my luck seemed good today.”
Kijun , who had mentioned finding 5,000 won on his way to work, spoke up.
“Who knows. This might turn misfortune into fortune and bring us luck.”
“Ugh, but it’s still scary.”
We retrieved weapons from the armory.
The item I’ll be using is a Magi-Tech Bomb.
Ordinary weapons can’t inflict damage on powerful entities due to magic interference issues.
Meanwhile, items like Magi-Tech Bombs, created by people who awakened crafting-type abilities, proved invaluable. They are similar to regular bombs but are treated with Magi-Tech, allowing the damage to be fully delivered to monsters.
“I wonder if there’ll even be room for rear infiltration…”
“We still have to bring them. For now…”
“Unless the golem’s skin surface develops cracks or something…”
“Sigh, it’s an unregistered monster, so I don’t even know how to handle it.”
“Not just the unregistered monster, but I heard smaller Rock Golems we know about have appeared too.”
They say ‘small’ Rock Golems, but in reality, they’re about the size of an adult male.
“It’s chaos.”
“Of all times…”
The situation on-site seemed worse than initially reported. According to the continuous stream of additional reports, it appeared that not only the large, unregistered Rock Golem but also smaller entities had emerged.
‘The only silver lining is that the small Rock Golems aren’t unregistered entities…’
“Is the Gate still open?”
“Yes, it reportedly shows no sign of closing.”
“Damn.”
“Everyone got your weapons?! Get out quickly! The helicopter is on standby!”
“Yes!”
Korean Academy of Public Safety combat personnel, including combat-type Awakened, frequently used helicopters.
Because rushing to and from locations within Seoul by car was impossible.
Dudududu―.
“The Golden Arrow Guild has already arrived on-site! Just follow the commands issued from the on-site command headquarters!”
“Yes, Team Leader!”
The Golden Arrow Guild was already on the scene.
Golden Arrow Guild is a major corporate guild positioned just below the tier of the Big Three Guilds.
“What about other guilds?”
“They’re on the way!”
The Big Three Guilds refer to Taehwa, Cheongpung, and World Tree.
And the Golden Arrow Guild is fiercely chasing them, aiming to change the Big Three into the Big Four.
‘It’s fortunate a strong guild has arrived.’
Seo Moon-cheol is the guild master, and his eldest daughter, Seo Ha-yeon, is mentioned as the next-generation powerhouse to lead the future.
With the way things were going, many predicted that when Seo Ha-yeon inherits the guild, the Big Three system would be reorganized into a Big Four system.
“I hear Seo Ha-yeon came too.”
“Oh…!”
‘Then we won’t have to take big risks.’
“If Seo Ha-yeon is here, we don’t need to worry too much. If needed, she can just use her ultimate move.”
“No, she already had a big fight at Namsan, so she probably doesn’t have much magic left.”
“Ah… damn.”
Seo Ha-yeon’s biggest weakness is her small magic pool.
Her ultimate move, [Arrow of Light], gathers pure light magic to form and shoot an arrow-shaped projectile.
Its firepower is almost comparable to a missile. Moreover, since it’s pure magic power, things like magic interference don’t affect it.
‘Meaning, the destructive power is delivered to the monster without any loss.’
However, due to her small magic pool, she can’t use her ultimate move as much as she’d like.
“A Gate opened at Namsan too, right?”
“Was that resolved well?”
“I heard they finished it without casualties, though quite a few monsters came out, so they had a hard time.”
“Sigh, lately it feels like a lot of incidents are suddenly popping up…”
‘It’s a sign of the impending doom.’
From the Goblin Great Chieftain evolution to the appearance of an unregistered giant Rock Golem.
‘Plus the suddenly increasing Gate incidents.’
People will soon start to realize the situation is abnormal.
‘Of course, there’s no need for me to say it first.’
Prophets are usually treated as lunatics.
And to properly play the prophet’s role, you need to become truly powerful.
I’ve grown much stronger in a short time, but…
‘It’s still not enough.’
Thudthudthudthud—
“We’re almost there. Everyone, prepare to disembark.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
Before we knew it, our team had arrived near Yeongdeungpo Times Square and landed on a nearby building’s helipad.
“Get off!”
We grabbed our gear and disembarked from the helicopter in turn.
The scene on the streets viewed from the helipad was devastating.
“…Good grief.”
The sight of citizens who couldn’t escape in time and had become corpses was visible.
“The exact number hasn’t been confirmed yet… but the estimated death toll based on life data is about 300. And that’s the minimum estimate.”
‘Insane.’
This is probably the largest civilian casualty incident in the last year or two, right? At least domestically?
“Everyone, let’s hurry. Time is critical.”
Still, thanks to Korea’s functioning administrative power, several blocks surrounding the site were already under entry and exit control.
Subways were also passing through Yeongdeungpo Station without stopping.
Clump clump—
Stopped vehicles, and the fragments of small golems that had died and turned to stone.
Blood and bits of flesh were smeared here and there on the streets.
We walked down those streets toward the on-site command post.
“Korean Academy of Public Safety Armed Enforcement Division, Team 1, has arrived.”
“Sigh, we can finally catch our breath. All of Seoul is in chaos right now.”
“Huh?”
“This time, a large-scale Gate opened near Sangam Stadium, so the Taehwa Guild, which was heading here, urgently changed direction to Sangam-dong.”
“Ah…”
“The main force of the Cheongpung Guild still hasn’t been able to come up from Daegu, and World Tree is in Busan…”
‘So large-scale Gates are opening nationwide right now.’
“Fortunately, the total civilian casualties nationwide haven’t exceeded a thousand… but the damage here is quite severe. Even by the most conservative estimate, it seems at least 300 people have died.”
“Seo Ha-yeon of the Golden Arrow Guild.”
“Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. Team Leader of the Korean Academy of Public Safety Armed Enforcement Division, Team 1.”
The two exchanged business cards, and then the situation briefing and tactical adjustments continued.
“Since we have a Supporter-Assassin position, we should target the rear.”
“I wonder if it’s okay to go alone…”
Everyone looked at me and spoke.
‘I have to do it.’
It’s a perfect chance to grow stronger. And when else would I experience a situation like this?
This is precisely why I’m sticking it out at the Korean Academy of Public Safety instead of leaving.
Teamwork.
You can’t save the world alone.
It sounds like a catchphrase from some failed hero movie, but it’s a fact nonetheless.
To prepare for that time, I must always be ready for situations requiring teamwork.
“It’s fine. I have enough skill to preserve my own life.”
“Yes, you can trust and leave it to him. Team member Si-woo Lee… has been performing well lately, and above all, his skill, [Agility], is useful in these situations.”
Kijun hyung supported from the side.
“That’s a relief. If you judge your life is in danger, you must withdraw immediately.”
“I understand. I’m capable enough to look after myself. Please don’t worry too much.”
“That’s good.”
At least, thanks to the [Basic Firearms Proficiency] skill, I could bypass magic interference limitations and inflict damage on monsters.
‘Even excluding the unregistered monster… there shouldn’t be any particular problem dealing with the small Golems continuously pouring out of the Gate.’
Although Rock Golem types have tough exteriors, they’re nothing compared to Elite Orc Warriors.
They possess what’s called a Body Protection Aura, a magic defense shield, along with decent stamina recovery abilities.
“Then infiltrate the rear and destroy the fortress the Golems are building.”
“Yes, understood. I’ll depart immediately.”
I gathered my weapons and left.
‘The Golden Arrow Guild will take the main offensive, I guess.’
Even if she can’t use her ultimate move, Seo Ha-yeon is still the strongest person gathered here.
‘The small fry will be handled by other Awakened, and Seo Ha-yeon will handle that unregistered large Golem.’
My primary objective now is to destroy the fortress the Golems are building in the rear.
Click—
“Shall we go?”
What I’m carrying is a commonly seen K2 rifle.
‘Somehow, I never get to use other guns…’
Just as I was about to set off.
“Wait a moment.”
A clear voice came from behind.
‘That voice…’
“Mr. Si-woo Lee. That’s you, right?”
The successor of the Golden Arrow Guild, Seo Ha-yeon.
“Yes, that’s me. What can I do for…?”
“Your position is Supporter-Assassin, so you’ve been given a dangerous mission… are you really okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. This is my original duty.”
“….”
She pressed her lips together briefly in thought, then handed me something.
“If a moment comes when your life is in danger, use this.”
[Single-Use Blessing of Light]
[Once, it will protect you from any type of attack.]
‘A precious item.’
True to its name, the Golden Arrow Guild primarily deals with light magic.
“Thank you.”
“The Supporter-Assassin position is inherently dangerous… and it’s a very rare position. You deserve this level of treatment.”
“Yes, well then…”
“Ah, yes. Fighting!”
She made a small fist and cheered me on.
‘It’s probably…’
A recruitment offer, right?
Supporter-Assassin is a very special position, so their numbers are extremely low.
To Seo Ha-yeon, who wants to somehow recruit talent to place the Golden Arrow Guild on equal footing with the Big Three, I must be a very attractive person.
‘I have no intention of going, though.’
I’m more than willing to build connections for future cooperation.
Tadadadot―.
Thinking that, I ran toward enemy lines.
[Stealth]
Using the skill to avoid detection by monsters.
“…Huh? The presence suddenly disappeared?”
Before entering the on-site command headquarters tent, Seo Ha-yeon turned to look back.
“Hmm…?”
She felt something was off, but since it wasn’t important in the current situation, she shook her head slightly and went back inside.
