Chapter 183

In South Korea.

No, across the entire world.

No, perhaps even throughout the universe… monsters were swarming everywhere.

“But how could this happen so… suddenly?”

Monster-related incidents had been occurring for ages, but such a mad level of invasion happening out of nowhere was completely incomprehensible.

And more than anything else—more than anything else…

This timing is far too coincidental.

Kugung!

Bam!

Outside the window, about twenty Gigas that had appeared at some point were now bombarding a giant with blue-green scales measuring dozens of meters tall.

They won’t be enough.

It had been a mere thirty seconds since the incident unfolded. Considering this was peaceful Earth-34, their response time was commendable, but even then, it wasn’t enough.

Their adversary was a Transcendent—an entity of extraordinary power. At level 22, he was a monster on par with the Mangling Dragon Replic. While Transcendents could be apprehended for committing crimes in Earth-34, capturing him wouldn’t be easy. How much damage would this creature inflict before they managed to subdue it?

“Ki! Keda! Urata!”

With incomprehensible cries, Shigong unleashed chaos upon the sea as his fist struck an apartment building nearby.

Krrrshhhk!

Yet it stood firm! The high-rise apartment housed countless people, its structure reinforced by hundreds, if not thousands, of overlapping spells.

Even as Schonen was bewildered, the Gigases’ bombardment continued unabated. On the very front lines of the cosmic war, the power of the English bullets caused Schonen’s scales to fall off in droves.

Krak!

As Schonen struck the apartment building once more, it finally reached its breaking point and began to crumble. No matter how sturdy Earth-34’s buildings were, they couldn’t withstand two direct hits from an attack unleashed by a Transcendent who had set his mind to it.

…This is no time to stand around like an idiot.

I opened my inventory and retrieved Hyperion. Then, quietly forming hand seals, I spoke:

“Ardenia. Xian Monastery. Open School.”

Calmly, I called out each word in order.

“Summon.”

The items summoned were equipment: each a 9-reinforced legendary rank item—Golden Crown of Fortune, Angel Wing Suit of Fortune, Radiant Light Shoes of Fortune, and Radiant Light Gloves of Fortune.

“Hmm, to summon such things amidst this chaos. The state of humanity is…”

But there was no choice. When receiving backup from Earth-34, wasn’t it necessary to farm gear for battling mythic monsters?

In Heavenly Yuan, I hadn’t even laid eyes on Repli the Mangling Dragon Lord in the Temple of Death. In a situation where I couldn’t be confident in defeating Repli one-on-one, I had avoided being surrounded by countless minions.

And now…

On Earth-34, the scenario played out exactly opposite.

“Summon… Ardenia. Xian Monastery. Open School. Summoning.”

“And here as well… Cheddar. Cast an illusion spell on me.”

“Searching for spells in Magic Store. Grade 9 Illusion, 68,000 won. Grade 8 Illusion, 115,000 won. Grade 7 Illusion, 350,000…”

“Grade 8.”

“I’ll guide you through the system. Optical…”

“Just make sure I don’t show up on camera.”

Soon, I felt magic power emanating from Cheddar’s eyes as it enveloped my body. Gripping Hyperion, I flung open the window.

Crash!

“Aargh! Somebody save me!”

“It’s collapsing!”

As the buildings attacked by Schong tilted dangerously, hundreds of people could be seen escaping through windows—some opened, others broken.

If they were ordinary civilians, all would have plummeted to their deaths. However, on Earth-34, over 99% of the population consisted of ability users! They cast aerial glide spells or simply landed safely on the ground, preserving their lives.

Kaboom!

Yet not everyone could react in this sudden crisis.

“Aah! Watch out!”

“My arm! My arm is gone!”

For those who couldn’t evade in time, blood and flesh splattered everywhere. Helpless victims fell prey to Schong’s attacks mid-air, perishing instantly.

I curled up like a tightly compressed spring. In my right hand was Hyperion, and I gazed at the giant blue figure wreaking havoc in the city.

Crunch… Crunch…

Creeeeeeeak…!

A savage noise, reminiscent of a construction site, reverberated from my body, but amidst the chaos, it went largely unnoticed.

Wham!

One of the Gigas obstructing the ichthyosaur’s movement was crushed with a single punch. The blood spraying from the exoskeleton left little to the imagination as to what had befallen the pilot inside.

Water surged from the ground. The gigantic Shemgon’s movements gradually quickened.

The Gigases’ bombardment was truly powerful, tearing off clumps of Shemgon’s scales, but conversely, that was all the damage they could inflict.

Then, as Shemgon’s fist was about to strike the next Gigas—

Late Bloomer.

Subluminal.

At a mad speed approaching light itself—so fast that even I, the perpetrator, couldn’t fully process it—Shemgon reacted astonishingly.

Is this some kind of automatic counterattack? It’s surprisingly nimble for its size.

From Shemgon’s shoulder sprouted dark blue scales that blocked Hyperion, while the flow of cause and effect defied logic: water inexplicably pierced my body with supernatural force—I saw it happen.

Shiiing!

Yes. That must have been what happened.

If I hadn’t possessed the foresight of battle…

Thud!

In a split second, I twisted my body to evade the blue-black scales. For a swordsman, concentrating their entire weight on their sword is no difficult feat.

The problem was that all the momentum from hundreds of kilograms moving at near-light speed had been focused onto the blade itself.

Moreover, the physical coefficient of the sword was 12.4.

Even if this were just simple physical force, it would be enough to warp reality itself. And while Gumgang may be a skill, it’s still imbued in the blade.

Shiiing!

The air tore apart as the rift between dimensions was revealed. The result of focusing an impact that should have destroyed surrounding buildings into a single point.

Incredibly, Shigong’s head withstood this attack. It possessed a life force almost comparable to mine!

Grrrak? Ieeta…?!

The crushed skull emitted garbled noises. Though I couldn’t understand the words, I could sense the horror and anger contained within them.

Swishhh…!

The rising seawater on the ground was sucked into Shigong.

Shhhk!

And then Shadow Twice was activated!

Araty! With a bewildered cry, Shigong swung his fists in all directions. Even amidst this chaos, I could see that his body was regenerating by absorbing the seawater—was he trying to buy time?

Unfortunately for him, once a skill is applied, it cannot be undone.

Zzzt!

The final Shadow Twice attack. Yet his recovery was even faster than before.

This is unbelievable. Not only was that not just a simple slash, it was an attack using Gumgang itself.

I needed to follow up with additional strikes, but Ahkwang’s aftereffects were still lingering. At this rate, he would fully recover before I could do anything else.

But this was Earth-34.

Unlike him, I wasn’t alone here.

Swish, swish, swish!

In an instant, the Human Gigas, possessing a size and momentum incomparable to the Water Gigas, multiplied from one to twelve.

Ability: Doppelganger!

The exclusive ability of Guok Zaiyou, the Human Gigas!

Kugung!

As a massive magic circle materialized and enveloped Shemgon’s rapidly regenerating body, the seawater that had been flooding into him began to freeze solid.

But that wasn’t all.

Kugugung!

Thudthudthud!

A barrage of attacks pelted Shemgon’s form relentlessly. Naturally, this process destroyed roads and buildings in the vicinity, but the Gigas paid them no heed. They understood that any momentary lapse in their assault could give their opponent an opportunity for counterattack.

And then, amidst this chaos:

The Late Bloomer.

Subluminal.

Tmp.

Shemgon landed on the opposite shore. Internally, he marveled at what he witnessed.

Indeed… This technique is effective even against Transcendent Rank Special Bosses. It would be even more devastating as a surprise attack.

This wasn’t a space battle where opponents could maintain a comfortable distance; it was a close-quarters fight against an enemy capable of near-light-speed attacks. Avoiding such assaults was no easy feat, especially when one had mere moments to predict their outcome using combat foresight.

Eeeetaaah! Eeeetaaah…?!

This time, Shagon clutched at his vertically split head as he swayed unsteadily. He desperately tried to absorb surrounding seawater, but the Gigases’ cooling agents and massive freezing spells had rendered the ocean immobile, turning it into solid ice.

And then…

Shunk.

Shadow Twice struck.

Shunk!

The monster’s head was cleaved in two vertically.

Krrrrmble—!

As Shagon’s colossal body collapsed, shattered fragments of ice scattered like fog across the battlefield.

“He’s down!”

“Is he dead? Check his status!”

“God damn it! What is happening?! What is going on?”

“Rescue the wounded!”

The police had somehow gathered and were now rescuing people while using all sorts of spells to clean up the battlefield. Amidst extreme chaos, there was a sense of calming down somewhat.

But this isn’t the end. Other Transcendent monsters…

Just as I thought that…

Flash!

I turned my head at the blinding light to see the Deep Eye floating in the sky being pierced by pillars of light. When I looked down below, there stood an enormous Gigas holding an even more massive cannon.

“The Constellation of War, Warlord…”

Even on Earth-34, renowned for its abundance of floating objects, there were only three Star-class Gigas. The pilot was none other than the famous Lioness Queen Kim So-hyang.

Though she wasn’t a Transcendent, as the sole Giant Master on Earth-34, she commanded respect akin to that given to them. And why not? Whenever she rode a Gigas, it unleashed power rivaling that of a Transcendent.

She had already proven herself countless times, turning the tide against these very beings.

Kaboom!

Hundreds of Gigas followed her lead, bombarding the Deep Eye with their firepower. The creature blinked rapidly, attempting to recover its physical form and flee across dimensions, but dozens of overlapping magic barriers erupted from all directions, hindering its escape.

And then again…

Flash!

A burst of light streaked across the sky, tearing apart the deep eye in an instant.

“Ah, it’s over…” The lament slipped out involuntarily, a trashy sentiment but understandable given the circumstances. After all, my inventory had just been flooded with items.

Legendary items… eight of them!

Not all were useful; this game, Darkest Despair, had its own system, and most items’ effects were downright bizarre. But among them were a few that made me do a double take.

It was an incredibly simple yet powerful effect. Didn’t it literally mean preventing death? Moreover, with no limitations on its use and the ability to activate it even from one’s inventory, calling it a game-changing item would be no exaggeration.

This sentiment only intensified when considering that three of these items had been dropped:

“Never miss… Does this apply here too?”

After briefly examining other items with extreme utility instead of attack or defense stats, I checked my body status.

I’d used the Subluminal twice now, and while it had significantly reduced my weight and left me feeling dizzy… that was easily fixed by logging in and recovering before returning.

Great. Now I just need to find another Transcendent monster.

But as I pondered this…

”…What?”

I groaned at the announcements blaring from everywhere. I checked the time. Barely three minutes had passed since those Transcendent monsters first appeared.

“What the hell?”

Three minutes. That’s all it took for eleven Transcendent monsters to be completely wiped out.