Chapter 139

The knight stepped out of his carriage.

“What? Where is everyone?”

There was no one around the carriage. Neither party members nor monsters were to be seen anywhere nearby.

But then…

Tak.

A single drop of blood landed on the ground.

I opened the door and got out of the flower carriage.

“What, where did everyone go?”

There was nobody around the flower carriage. I couldn’t see any monsters or members of my party. However, at that moment:

Tap.

Hearing a light noise, I raised my head and saw a cat standing on top of the flower carriage. Naturally, it wasn’t a real cat but one of the smart pets abundant on this island. Fluffy letters floated above its head.

[Beyond the hill’s tree.]

“Beyond the hill’s tree?” I read absently, causing the cat to frown deeply.

[I told you not to look at the camera!]

“No, how can I pretend when it is so obvious…” As I muttered while moving away, the cat swiftly followed me from behind.

‘Ah, should I leave this here? If we fight and it gets damaged…’

However, I immediately shook my head.

‘The broadcaster will ask.’

“Cheeda. Send this guy’s manuscript to him just in case and follow me. Use magic power to hide your presence.”

“Stealth mode activated.”

I confirmed that Cheeda went with Flower Cart’s cat before climbing up the hill.

Ku-chong!

Once I crested the hill, the back of the body golem came into view. I raised my sword intending to strike its neck but noticed its shadow wavering first.

Kuuw…!”

There was a heavy vibration felt amidst the trembling air. Then…

Boom!

“Graaaah…!”

The tremor traveled from its ankles upwards, causing the golem’s back to burst open.

“This isn’t quite like a spell…”

I dodged flying blood and flesh chunks, realizing it was only the beginning.

“Peel off their skin! Rip out their flesh! The time has come to rejoice and praise life as it spills forth!”

“D-D-Don’t r-r-run away! D-Don’t h-h-hide!”

“Graaaaah!”

The dark attribute monsters rushed toward a large tree atop the hill.

Wham! Crack!

The golem’s fist, the fanatic’s dagger, and the knight’s longsword struck the trunk. Despite being over fifteen feet wide, the massive tree withstood the onslaught. Occasionally, its bark would peel or crack, but it quickly recovered through the powerful magic emanating from the forest.

And then…

Rrrrumble…!

A vibration originated around the tree, although nothing seemed amiss with the tree itself.

The vibrations emerged from each monster’s shadow.

Crack! Thud! Klang!

Their bodies burst and steel broke. At the same time, the monsters pounding on the giant tree either died or were severely injured, rolling on the ground.

“Wow, hitting hundreds with one blow? Less than half of them died but…”

Nevertheless, it was still impressive power. The attack through their shadows made evasion or defense difficult, while my own shadow remained quiet without any reaction, indicating that I could choose the targets. There were items scattered near the tree, suggesting this method had been used for quite some time. I picked up one item:

[Glory Days]

Close Damage +15%.

Curse Probability +10%

Stress +10%.

The black longsword had a name that didn’t fit it. There was no inherent damage or rating, just a multiplier attached to it. This item system differed from Revenge in many ways.

“Well, it looks quite sturdy.”

As I lightly swung it, a huge tree split open, revealing its interior.

“Don’t stand there stupidly! Quickly come inside!”

Following Sungjae’s voice, we entered the tree and the gap closed again.

“We’re all here.”

From the outside, the tree looked big but due to the thickness of the bark, the interior wasn’t spacious at all. Four men and women were situated within the confined space.

It wasn’t surprising to see Sungjae emitting magic power while half-buried in the tree. He was specialized in spells related to trees. From the moment I saw this tree standing amidst the battlefield, I anticipated that he would be doing something like this.

What was unique was Olia’s appearance.

“Why…are you lying down?”

She was sprawled on the ground. It wasn’t just a prone position; her ample chest seemed distorted as she pressed herself completely against the earth. On her left side was mage amplifier Lia, and on her right was chakra master Hye-young with dark attribute powers. However, they didn’t seem focused enough to answer my question.

“More of them are coming!”

“But we’ve killed thousands already! Why won’t they stop?!”

“No time for talk, prepare!”

Wooong!

The dark interior of the tree became bright. It wasn’t due to a light source but because the tree had become transparent. This didn’t happen when viewed from outside, so it was likely only visible from within.

Then through the transparent tree walls, I saw the scene unfolding:

Woom!

Darkness gathered in the empty air…

“Kuaaang!”

It transformed into a giant corpse golem.

Sungjae became agitated, “Damn this. The regeneration time is getting faster! My magic power is less than half remaining…!”

“Are the other teams okay?”

“The party moving with Boram’s main body should be fine…but I don’t know. There are just too many monsters—these creatures, these monsters. Endless hordes comparable to Completed Beings keep pouring out…”

Everyone looked grim. The endless battle had dragged on for too long.

“I’m going…!”

At that moment, Olia’s prone body started glowing blue.

“Amplifying… Coefficient 9.4!”

“Transferring… Now!”

Rrrrumble!

A deep vibration emanated from Olia’s body. Then…

Bam! Boom! Crack!

The monsters madly pounding the trees exploded and collapsed to the ground!

“What is this?”

“It is a type of fusion skill.”

Olia answered instead of Sungjae, who entered meditation mode to recover his mana. Naturally, she pulled out a pill the size of a walnut and casually popped it into her mouth. Based on her nonchalant demeanor, it appeared to be some kind of elixir with special effects.

“Oh…it regenerated again. To summarize, I send out vibrations, Lia amplifies them, and Hye-young delivers it to monsters via her shadow.”

“The Seven Heavenly Colors Amplification works well with my skill. Even if I amplify it ninefold, there is no burden on me.”

“My Shadow Shift also meshes well with this combo. Normally, using Shadow Shift ten times exhausts me completely, but relaying these vibrations doesn’t strain me at all regardless of how many times we use it.”

“No more chitchat…let’s go!”

Flash!

A blue light burst forth as Olia emitted vibrations. Lia amplified it, and Hye-young delivered it through her shadow.

Crack! Pop!

The monster was peeling bark from a tree when its body exploded.

Sungjae groaned.

“Can’t you shoot faster? We will pierce through this tree!”

“I am already pushing myself to the limit! I’ve lost so much fat that my chest went from F-cup to C-cup!” Olia’s words made Sungjae grimace.

“Oh please, don’t say such things here! Remember, we are on air!”

As they bickered, I had a thought:

‘They seem more relaxed than expected.’

It wasn’t that they were doing poorly. Sungjae’s face was pale, and Olia, who used to have some curves, had become significantly slimmer. However…

‘There is no despair in their eyes.’

This meant they must have a last resort up their sleeves. Although curious about what it could be, I decided to intervene instead of merely observing.

“The problem is insufficient vibrations?”

Olia nodded at my question, seemingly understanding where my thoughts were headed.

“You want to use physical attacks? It is a good method but it requires using red absorption and orange emission together… I wonder how efficient it will be…”

“Let’s try it first.”

“Try it…” Olia grumbled as she lay down. Beyond the transparent tree wall, monsters were rushing madly towards us. I raised my hand. Initially, I made a fist before opening it wide. Then I thought:

‘Flow’.

Even if they possessed the same physical strength, there were various ways of expressing it. Strikes such as jabbing, hitting or shocking etc. There was speed and concentration even within instantaneous attacks.

Vwoom.

My Inner Force circulated throughout my body. Using Land Breaker’s function, my two legs became rooted like anchors in the earth. And then…

I struck downwards.

Zaak…!

“Ahhh…?!” Olia trembled as her clothes were shredded off her upper body.

“Ugh!”

“Oof…!”

Lia and Hye-young also let out gasps. They appeared disoriented by this overwhelming surge of power. Despite their state, they flawlessly executed their duties.

Boom!

The golem slamming against the tree shattered, scattering debris everywhere. The fanatic coughed blood while the twisted knight tumbled to the ground. Unlike before when only some monsters perished from the attack, every single creature near the tree was annihilated.

“…wow, what just happened?” Sungjae looked around with bewilderment on his face. The once clamorous hill fell silent instantly.

“Wow! Teacher, what did you do? The shock was just…directly transmitted! No wait!” Olia was startled and jumped up while talking nonsense.

“Hold on! My back almost burst open! What kind of strength is this…?”

Seeing Olia’s angry reaction, everyone became horrified.

“Eek!”

“Lie down. Lie down!”

“Don’t stand up!”

Olia was forced to lie down again as she grumbled.

“Why are they making such a fuss over my chest?”

“Shut up and don’t rise! There might be cameras here too!”

Unexpectedly, we spotted a squirrel clinging to the tree wall, observing us.

“Well, I can reduce the power. How much should it be?”

In fact, it was excessive. What is my current strength now?

‘Strength to pull out buildings.’

I didn’t squeeze all my muscles but used Land Breaker when striking her, so the impact on her body must’ve been enormous. Fortunately, I realized ‘Flow’ and smoothly helped with her vibration transition; otherwise, regardless of how strong she was physically, her internal organs would’ve ruptured if hit directly.

“You will reduce…?”

Olia hesitated at my consideration. She opened her mouth before closing it again. Then her eyes widened fiercely.

”…No! Just hit me with your full strength, Cheese! Even if my back tears apart!”

Seeing Olia shout bravely with a clear palm print on her back made me smile.

“Alright then. Let’s continue.”

As I spoke, I raised my hand and employed a newly developed technique.

“Mamstouch.”

“What kind of name is that…?”

Regardless of her protest or lack thereof, I struck down immediately.

Smack!

The cast of “Survival Island” consisted of around thirty people, but including the production staff, there were over two hundred individuals involved. This included producers (PD), assistant producers, writers, environmental mages, warp mages, mechanics, security personnel, chefs, and more.

When the crisis hit and the island was quarantined, the safest place turned out to be where these staffers had gathered. With many non-combatants present, they fortified their location, establishing facilities for monitoring the entire island and securing various resources.

However, the problem arose from the fact that this well-fortified area, housing numerous people, also attracted a significant number of monsters.

“Red Bear! This is Red Bear! Approaching 123 new monsters!”

“Warrior units completed with repairs, advance once again!”

“What is this madness? How many more will keep coming?”

“Our spiritual power is dwindling! We need to switch out!”

The monsters seemed endless. Despite continuously wiping out thirty regular gigas and two swamp masters as they approached, more kept emerging by ripping through space itself.

“The beacon! We must destroy the beacons! These creatures are homing in on their dimensional coordinates!”

“Who doesn’t know that? We want them gone too!”

However, it was impossible due to the subsequent roar echoing across the area:

Graaaaahhh!

With Phantom Dragon Repli’s cry, darkness and death permeated the surroundings. Boram, both a national TV personality and an 8th-class mage, groaned.

“They have three human lures…” Sweat drenched her body from prolonged combat. Despite being one of the top entertainers and fighting with all she had, Haein knew she couldn’t be the main protagonist in this battle.

Wiiing!

A streak of red light sliced across the island, followed by…

KABOOMMM!

“Everyone, get down!”

“Oh my God!”

Despite their formidable defenses, the mere shock wave caused significant damage.

‘Ultimately, the battles between Transcendents matter most.’

Even if they managed to repel the monsters successfully, it would all be for naught if the Five Dragons fell. There seemed no way for five dragons to defeat such a monstrous creature single-handedly.

“We have to help them somehow…”

Despite their desperation, they were unable to stem the tide of monsters. Yet suddenly…

“What’s happening? They’re getting…”

“Huh? The monsters are…?”

The relentless onslaught began visibly diminishing. Not only that, but strangely, the direction of the monster wave had changed as well.

“What’s going on? Where are they all heading?”

“Phew. At least we can catch our breath now.”

“No, catching our breath isn’t the problem! What if those things attack the cast members?! Which way are they go— Wait, what is that?”

Something caught their eye, approaching from afar.

Thud!

It was a colossal tree.

Stomp!

The massive tree had been drawing their attention as it lumbered toward the tallest hill nearby and settled at its peak. Its enormous roots dug deep into the ground to secure itself firmly.

“Graaaaaah!”

“Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!”

“Skreeee!”

For some reason, all the monsters in the vicinity rushed toward the tree. With such ferocity, it seemed like they would tear it apart.

Hwoooom!

Suddenly, the air around them vibrated.

“No, this is…”

“The tremors…?”

Everyone rubbed their skin with puzzled expressions. Although not targeted directly, the residual energy made every hair on their bodies stand up.

Suddenly, the air around them vibrated.

Kaboom!

Boom! Boom!

All the monsters on the battlefield exploded simultaneously.

“No way, this is insane…!”

“What’s happening…?”

Everyone stared at the scene in disbelief as they witnessed the birth of the unprecedented “bully party.”