MDPS 45

Chapter 45

My Dark Past Is Too Strong
Siege at the Fortress Gate (3)

Clack.

Hertia approached.

Choi Dong-pal, terrified, sent out a radio message somewhere.

“Brother, backup! Backup! Hertia’s here!”

Clack.

“Damn it, brother! Brother! Why aren’t you responding! Seon Seong-tae, you bastard!”

Clack.

“Y-Yeah. Hwashin, Geomgye, anyone! Send in reserves…”

And then a reply came through the radio.

-The Kwanghwi guys have moved! Support requested on the Geomgye side!

Clack.

-Hwashin won’t hold for long! They’re retreating first!

After a man’s voice, the signal on the radio cut off.

Clack.

Now, the sound of footsteps was right in front of them. Cold sweat ran down Choi Dong-pal’s spine.

“This is bad. Even our last hope is gone.”

“Don’t… don’t come! It’s not over yet! My brother, our comrades, they’ll come! Just a little longer!”

Pff.

Hertia couldn’t help but laugh mockingly at Choi Dong-pal’s words.

Clack.

“Ah, a guest has arrived. I wonder if you’re my guest or theirs?”

Hertia crossed her arms, resting her chin on her hand, as she focused on a man approaching the entrance.

“Yoon Hae-jun…”

Choi Dong-pal muttered.

Yoon Hae-jun, master of the Kwanghwi Guild, approached Hertia alone, without guild members or summons.

“Now! Quickly contact the main base and kill this crazy woman from a distance! Just kill her, and we’ll clear the path! Hurry!”

No matter what Choi Dong-pal shouted, Yoon Hae-jun didn’t even glance at him. He fixed his gaze solely on Hertia. Then he politely introduced himself.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Hertia. I am Yoon Hae-jun, Master of the Kwanghwi Guild. With your permission, I would like to have a conversation with you.”

“With me? About what?”

“It concerns the Deathside Alliance, which you have subdued.”

At that moment, Hertia turned her body from looking at Choi Dong-pal and approached Yoon Hae-jun. She placed her hand lightly on his shoulder and whispered softly.

“I grant you permission.”

“I haven’t said anything yet…”

“Obviously, it’s about disposing of these trash. Do as you wish. But I have one condition.”

Hearing that it was a condition, Yoon Hae-jun swallowed hard.

“And that condition is…?”

“After dealing with these vermin, kill the elves mercilessly. If you don’t, next time you’ll have to face me.”

“…Understood.”

At that moment, Hertia left Yoon Hae-jun, tapping his shoulder lightly like playing piano keys.

“You’re better than that worthless man.”

Hertia then flew into the air and left. Confirming her departure, Yoon Hae-jun raised his hand and summoned his summons. Then he issued commands to the guild members waiting at the base camp via radio.

“All Kwanghwi Guild members! Summon your creatures! Suppress the remnants of Deathside, Hwashin, and Geomgye!”

“-Master, the situation is summarized.”

“Confirmed. Move away from the fortress slowly and then return.”

“-Yes!”

I exhaled after Hertia’s message. The impromptu plan worked perfectly. Hertia alone was enough to tie up the enemy’s feet.

But even sending all my summons couldn’t defeat hundreds of legendary or mythical summons.

So I thought of a way to make up for the lacking firepower.

‘Kill two birds with one stone.’

Just as the elves were taking advantage of the adventurers’ internal conflict, I used Hertia’s appearance to unsettle them. The Deathside Alliance’s summons guarding the fortress gate became mere decoys, prompting the enemies to act first.

The result was a resounding success. The elves prioritized eliminating Hertia over the adventurers’ infighting, and in the chaos, the main force of the Deathside Alliance was annihilated.

Of course, to ensure Hertia survived, I wrapped her in all sorts of one-time buff items and defensive equipment.

‘Thanks to that, it seems to have gone well.’

Soon, the guild alliance led by Kwanghwi took control of the fortress gate. Deathside, Geomgye, and Hwashin suffered critical damage. Without justification or practical gains, they would be remembered only as troublemakers.

Thus, the punishment for the troublesome top guilds was effectively complete. Maximum efficiency with minimal effort—it felt satisfying.

Brrring!

A message from CEO Son Tae-ha arrived, likely to inform me of the rapidly changing situation while I was out on my “walk.” I answered casually.

“-Hyun-woo! There’s a big problem!”

“What happened?”

“-The… Witch of the Apocalypse, Hertia, has appeared! She took on the alliance at the fortress gate—”

I needed to feign surprise, pretending I had no idea.

“Really? How did the situation get like this…?”

“-Just a little while ago…”

On the way back to the trailer, I listened to CEO Son Tae-ha’s story with great interest.

“So, the fortress gate is open now? And Hertia?”

“-Yes! After causing chaos, Hertia disappeared from the scene. She reportedly had a conversation with CEO Yoon Hae-jun, but the content is unknown.”

“I see…”

While nodding along appropriately, a rustling sound caught my heightened senses after skill awakening. Someone was tailing me.

Seon Seong-tae. How long does he intend to follow me?

‘Your house is on fire, idiot.’

This isn’t the time to be trailing me. He seems determined to find a way to get a lead, but I won’t give him one.

“Understood. I’ll head back quickly and assess the situation.”

I continued talking with CEO Son Tae-ha as I returned to the trailer.

The next day.

I spent the night in the trailer of Ascend Management and returned to Seoul with CEO Son Tae-ha. He suggested staying longer to gather more information on the fortress siege or even joining the assault team, but I politely declined.

The official reason was self-restraint, the real reason being that the atmosphere wasn’t yet ready for me.

Still, I obtained useful information.

‘No wonder they’re called a powerful nation.’

Even considering friction with Deathside, the progress gap in the fortress raid was dizzying. The top foreign players were indeed skilled.

Once home, I focused on raising ‘Azas.’ Spending half a day training this rare DPS, I returned from the dungeon to find the news buzzing with Hertia’s appearance.

[The Legendary Nightmare Returns! The Witch of the Apocalypse is Back!]

[Who will stop her? Hertia shows absolute power.]

There were also mentions of the three top guilds.

[Top 3 Guilds Devastated! Hertia, the Witch of the Apocalypse, Strikes]

[Deathside, Geomgye, Hwashin—Suspected Interference in the Fortress Raid?]

Since the news only raised suspicions, it seemed someone had done extensive lobbying. Considering the damage and the fact that the affected groups weren’t too far behind in rank, their losses will be hard to recover.

One unexpected result:

“-Hertia? The old-school boss everyone hated?”

“Yep. That one is unbeatable. Not a boss meant to be cleared.”

“Old-school vs. Hertia. Who wins?”

“Hertia wins by default. The old-school boss was wiped out. Deleting Floor 100 of the Battle Tower was enough to earn a kill.”

The community began calling for my return. I hadn’t planned for this, but the shift in sentiment was good news.

Still, I won’t act immediately. I’ve already marked the timing for my return.

Beep! Beep-beep!

My phone alarm went off.

‘Alright, time to go out.’

Today, Oh Hyun-ah would sign a contract with Ascend Management. The contract discussion with CEO Son was done, and I asked Insu to act as a tutor.

And it also meant my day of judgment was approaching.

‘Little sister, I’m counting on you.’

After a little middle-school angst roleplay, please don’t beat your older brother.