Chapter 87 | Omni Tales

After a 12-hour break, we started again. We couldn’t rest for too long because high-level monsters that we had painstakingly defeated would respawn after 24 hours.

“Check your weapons! Carefully inspect your consumables! Platoon leaders, confirm the status of your platoon members and report!”

Soldiers gathered around the pillars of light. Naturally, they were all elite soldiers. Their combat power was important, but there was an even more serious issue at hand:

The cold.

Even the orc fortress, constantly under attack from ice elementals, became incredibly frigid. This phenomenon occurred as continuous cold air entered the enclosed space of the dungeon. If the orc fortress was this chilly, how much colder would it be in the stronghold of ice monsters?

‘Despite using auto-hunting diligently and even spending cash…I only have around 2,000 rings.’

Originally, it cost 300 diamonds or 30,000 won for one Frost Protection Ring. However, after I purchased over a thousand of them, the price rose to over 50,000 won. While it wasn’t as crazy as the bubble with the Return Incantation Scrolls, it was becoming increasingly burdensome to acquire more.

‘Ideally, I would like to distribute Frost Protection Rings to all my soldiers, but…’

I was well aware that without these rings, the mortality rate among my soldiers would increase significantly. Of course, I did my best by providing thick winter clothing and inner garments enchanted with insulation spells to those who couldn’t receive the rings.

‘There is a limit.’

The level of Ardenian mages was clear, and there were limits to their spell power. Despite various preparations, significant casualties due to the cold within dungeons were inevitable. Yet despite knowing this, I couldn’t afford to spend more money on the exchange.

‘I don’t have enough funds…’

I was earning unprecedented amounts through sponsorships from novel sites and acting guarantees, but it still fell short of my needs.

“Sir! A total of 13,001 soldiers, including scouts, are ready!” Stonestone approached me quietly to report. I looked around at the soldiers assembled:

Steel Shield Knights: 124 members
Silver Cross Knights: 88 members
Flame Magic Battalion: 42 members

There were 21 ten-thousand-man units remaining after suffering heavy losses, down from the original 30.

‘After excluding the injured, there are only 10,000 left. The damage is quite significant.’

However, it was still an incredible force. Even among those gathered here, there were elite veterans including knights and mages. There was no shortage of power that I could mobilize.

“Rest.”

“Rest!”

I stepped forward. The soldiers, tightly wrapped in thick leather so their faces couldn’t be seen properly, watched me with twinkling eyes. Then I spoke:

“Honestly, I want to go alone.”

I met the gaze of each soldier individually. Despite my unexpected words, the 10,000 elite soldiers listened attentively without making a sound.

“I want to go alone and crush enemy heads if possible. That way, I won’t have to witness any of you dying on the battlefield.”

Sometimes, I feel guilty. Is there really a need to occupy these castles? Am I sending innocent people to battle just because of my own greed? Despite such thoughts…I still mobilize them.

“However, it isn’t possible. There are many things I can do, but I am not a god.” Slowly, I walked towards the pillar of light. It had been several hours since monsters appeared in this dungeon. They were killed as soon as they emerged, so it seemed like they decided to strengthen their defenses instead.

Instead of being intimidated by this display, I felt worried. I knew there would be massive damage.

“I want to do it alone. I don’t want to see you dying. But…”

I turned around. Countless soldiers were watching me. Then with a sigh…

“I need you.”

”…!”

The neatly lined up soldiers stirred like waves at my words. They emitted incomprehensible groans and began shifting their bodies restlessly.

Suddenly,

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

As one soldier started marching, everyone else followed suit as if they had rehearsed it beforehand.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Their footsteps grew louder until the earth itself seemed to tremble under the sound. I looked at the soldiers, and they gazed back at me. Their eyes sparkled, feet stomped rhythmically, and determination surged through them.

They were also looking at me with shining eyes, stamping their feet on the ground and showing great concentration. I shouted:

“Can you protect me?”

“Yes!”

Their cries erupted. The soldiers screamed madly while stomping hard on the earth.

“Will you die for me?”

“Yes!”

“I will be the first to die!”

“Leave it to us!”

Their thunderous shouts poured out in response to my question. Then I turned around,

“Then let’s go!”

Thud!

The footfalls suddenly ceased. I could feel numerous eyes watching me.

“Let’s move.”

With those final words, we entered the dungeon.

[Ice Queen’s Paradise]

In an instant, it felt like we had arrived at either the North or South Pole. It was a white space filled only with snow and ice.

Pik!

As soon as I landed, I felt waves hitting my body. Turning around, I saw monsters scattered across the massive white mountain like stones on a Go board. Immediately, I realized what these vibrations were.

“A human has appeared!”

Seeing the ice slayer scream from several hundred meters away, it dawned on me:

I can’t use Stealth here.

A chill ran down my spine. If I had attempted to assassinate using Stealth, they would’ve caught me right at the start and hunted me down mercilessly. Despite being able to recover stamina and heal injuries in reality… facing enemies numbering in the thousands, death would have been inevitable.

“Kraaaaah!”

“Hweee!”

The monsters started gathering from all sides. I also rushed towards the enemies.

[Critical Hit!]

As I broke the cores of the ice elementals indiscriminately, critical hits and Swift Swordsmanship stacks accumulated. Unlike the high-level buff ‘Gathered Breath’, which added strength, stamina, health, and agility by +5 for each critical hit, Swift Swordsmanship only enhanced attack speed. It was stacked up to 20 times with a 10% increase per stack. Considering that the job buff Sword Dance increased attack speed by 50%, the final attack speed would be strengthened by up to 250%.

Puhaak!

With the accelerated attack speed, every swing of my sword shattered the air around it. In a game, the difference might just be between striking once or twice per second… However, in reality, attack speed held more profound implications.

Puhaak! Ching!

The sword power itself became stronger. This was natural since the speed had doubled by more than twice. In addition, as the transition from attack to defense and vice versa became faster, almost all gaps disappeared.

Kwadeok! Kwang! Cheeok!

I looked around while cutting down enemies like crazy. However, the dungeon seemed quite large, and I couldn’t confirm the target’s location.

‘What type of boss is it?’

In the best-case scenario, the Ice Queen hadn’t respawned yet, and a rare-grade boss had been designated instead.

‘Just like before this starting point.’

If that happened, I could somehow aim for the boss assassination. It would be a bit ridiculous given my current position with 10,000 elite soldiers behind me, but it would still be the most perfect situation.

Unfortunately…

“How dare you! Where do you think this is?”

Such an event didn’t occur.

Ice Slayer (Hero) - Lisa

A woman emerged amidst the sound of a torn castle and swirling snowstorm. I immediately sprang off the ground.

Crunch. Crunch!

My entire body twisted. As my muscles were squeezed, there was a heavy noise like a giant rope being twisted. Then at the moment when my twisted muscles were released…

Boom!

There was a sound like the air bursting as the bone longsword flew like lightning. Injected with Inner Force, the bone longsword surpassed its throwing weapon limits by far.

Kwah-cha-kwang!

“I guess it doesn’t work on hero rank…”

The bone longsword couldn’t hit its target due to the blizzard and only smashed harmlessly into the ground.

“Wooohhh!”

I heard a strange cry as another figure appeared over the hill.

Yeti Warrior (Hero) Tutu

‘No, what… Two bosses?’

Both the ice slayer and yeti had two IDs, indicating that they were boss monsters rather than simple elites.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A new monster appeared from the opposite side.

Ice Machine (Hero) P-422

It was twice as large as the other ice golems with a considerably complex appearance, resembling a robot from a cartoon movie.

‘There are three bosses.’

The worst-case scenario I imagined was that the Ice Queen couldn’t come outside but might regenerate inside this place. It made sense since this location was different—the flower shop. And while it wasn’t exactly like that now… things still didn’t look good.

“Don’t approach them! Attack from a distance!”

“Bind their movements!”

Coldness poured from everywhere under the command of the intelligent ice slayers. The Cold Protection Ring, strengthened to Lv. 9, reduced cold damage by 90%, but I couldn’t ignore the snowdrifts and walls of ice blocking my path.

Crash! Crack!

I tried to advance while breaking through the ice with brute force, but more attacks poured down on me. Thousands of monsters had gathered, and boss monsters were running hard from afar! However, I wasn’t alone.

Pak! Pak! Pak!

Shield wielders carrying large shields and sword shielders holding one-handed swords appeared all over the place. These individuals, possessing the strongest defense, charged first, using their shields to push back nearby monsters and create space.

Pak! Pak! Pak!

Then came the infantrymen and archers. Their appearance was random, but with thousands pouring forth, nearby soldiers quickly grouped together to start fighting.

“Move as practiced! Even if you don’t have five people, form ranks with four or three!”

“Don’t get scattered!”

For elite soldiers, their usual job was raiding dungeons. They were more accustomed to this type of chaotic battle rather than large-scale engagements.

Grrrkkk! Kakk!

At that moment, I saw the ice machine lowering its stance. Then its thick shoulders opened up…

Tudududu!

Ice bullets poured out, striking the soldiers.

“Aaack!”

“Block it! Stay low!”

Blood sprayed upwards before freezing and falling to the ground. It made me grind my teeth, but I was too busy fending off attacks to do anything about it.

Papapap!

Fortunately, knights started arriving on the scene.

“I’ll face it head-on!”

Shield raised, Stonestone blocked the path of the Ice Machine. Meanwhile, Hundred charged from afar and swung his sword.

[Graaaah!]

With Thousand Dragon Roar, the Ice Machine staggered. Then…

“Grease!” With Smile’s spell, the unsteady Ice Machine fell hard to the ground. Our coordination was smooth due to our experience raiding dungeons together.

However…a hero-rank monster wouldn’t die just because it fell over.

Kwakrang!

“Ugh!”

“Ack!”

The ice golem spun like a top, shaking off two knights who were trying to deliver follow-up attacks. Despite using their martial arts, being struck by legs from a five-meter block of ice dealt significant damage.

‘We can’t hold on for long.’

Although Stonestone, Hundred and Smile were my best combat subordinates, they still lacked the ability to deal with hero-level monsters. And this opponent was not just any monster but a boss.

“Haaaap!” The ice slayer mixed snowstorms with her ice spear, engaging Haze. Unlike the knights who were struggling, she maintained an equal battle against her foe, although it didn’t seem like it would end anytime soon.

Ultimately, I had to find a breakthrough in this fight.

‘Let’s hurry.’

I moved first to take care of the Ice Machine.

“Graaaah!” A yeti fighter with pure white fur blocked my path. This yeti, unlike others driven purely by instinct, displayed the movements characteristic of a boss monster! However, it wasn’t my opponent.

First Move of Momentary Art - One Sword Force.

In fact, One Sword Force wasn’t suitable for this chaotic battle. One Sword Force poured all the zenki raised with one breath into a single sword strike, consuming not only the user’s inner force but also their stamina and mental energy excessively. It consumed 500% strength to deliver 300% power, making it inefficient in terms of effectiveness.

‘Basically, it is a finishing move.’

A technique where if I couldn’t cut down the enemy instantly, then I would die!

‘But that doesn’t apply to me!’

The yeti defended against One Sword Force. Its unusually thick fur on both arms blocked the sword energy. Immediately, I whispered:

“Log Out.”

I returned to my accommodation. Lying on the bed, I regulated my breathing. After resting for about 30 minutes…

“Log In.”

First Form: One Sword Force.

Crack!

With the second use of One Sword Force, the yeti fighter’s right arm couldn’t withstand it and snapped off.

Puhuk! Bang! Crack!

However, as I attacked, various blows hit my body from all directions. Some even pierced through my full-body armor and struck my side.

‘Damn elite monsters…!’

Still, it wasn’t a situation where I could be distracted. While taking the hits, I assumed a stance.

“Log Out!”

I returned to my accommodation once again.

Pu-shoot!

Blood gushed from my side. I tightened the outer clothing to stop the bleeding, then wrapped a bandage around my waist that I had prepared beforehand. I was proficient at this since it wasn’t something new for me.

“Ardenia. Giant Gate. Open.”

Due to martial arts absorbing other elements, almost all chakra techniques were effectively sealed except for one safe ability.

“Summon. Multicolored Songpyeon.”

Pop!

A plate of Songpyeon appeared. I immediately chewed and ate it.

[You have consumed Rare Five-Colored Songpyeon! For four hours, your recovery rate and mana recovery will increase by 200 points! Special resource recovery will triple!]

I rested with the buff active. The bleeding that was gradually seeping out settled down. After taking sufficient rest…

“Login.”

The first form of Chwajaeok (Instantaneous Skill), One Sword Force.

“Grrk… Gak!”

A fatal sword strike continuously poured forth, eventually breaking through the yeti combatant’s defense and causing its head to fall off.

Puck! Crack!

“Oh really, these things!”

Crash!

Sword energy sprayed everywhere, cutting down all enemies rushing towards me. This battle should’ve been much easier, but the constant interference from all sides caused significant damage.

Crack!

Slash!

“Ack!”

An ice sword sliced through the gap of his broken armor, severing half of jae-yeon’s bicep muscle. Combat Premonition was useless here. With attacks coming from every direction, he had no choice but to endure some damage.

“Log out!”

He returned to his room and applied pressure to stop the bleeding before wrapping it with bandages.

“Ah, I should’ve increased my Health instead of Strength. Every hit takes off chunks of flesh…”

jae-yeon had donned full-body armor just in case, but he couldn’t withstand the onslaught from all sides. Unlike in video games where armor retained its defensive capabilities until durability reached zero, real-life armor could be pierced or torn apart.

“Oh boy, this time, let me rest for a bit longer…”

I was extremely tired when the cheerful music of the internal broadcast started playing:

[Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~ It’s time for work~ Actors and staff please come to the filming location~!]

”…”

The cheerful music gave me a terrible feeling.

“Ah…”

For a moment, I stared blankly for about 10 minutes. A sudden emotion arose that I had never felt before.

“I… don’t want to go to work?”

Until now, I had been fighting like hell on a battlefield, leaving my body covered with wounds. There was no strength left in my body, yet I had to go to work? However, while lamenting, time passed. Then at some point, it reached a timing where I couldn’t delay any longer.

“This…! Like beggars!”

I gritted my teeth and got up from bed. Throwing off my clothes and bandages, I entered the private shower to wash my body.

“Is it about people or money?”

After drying my hair, I applied lotion on my face.

“In this situation! Going to work! Does it make sense? I need rest!”

I took out a suit and put on shoes.

Click.

I opened the door of the private room. Staff members and actors were seen heading towards the filming location. Some looked refreshed but most had tired faces due to the tight schedule.

“Damn…” The curse automatically came out before I swallowed it back down. Then I went to work.