Chapter 38

38. Rain Falling Over the Waves - 5

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Lieutenant Moon Tae-ho regained his senses, wiped the blood from his face, and looked around the corridor that had been reduced to shambles.

“What the...”

He thought he might be dreaming.

From the command and control room to the battalion armory far away, the long corridor...

Hundreds, no, certainly over a thousand various weapons were scattered everywhere.

It didn’t seem like even a real medieval battlefield would have such a scene.

“Is this... Did you drop a bomb or something?”

“I had no choice.”

Lee Hyun-wook replied.

“No, I’m not saying that, but... Is that thing... definitely dead?”

At the end of the corridor, the 'stranger' who had thrown him was literally crushed.

At first, it looked like a large mass with dozens of spears stuck in it.

“Yes, it is.”

Yes, he had definitely killed it.

Moreover, silver stakes were driven into both eyes and the heart area. It was a gruesome sight, but if he hadn’t done this, it might have come back to life.

“Ha...”

Moon Tae-ho rubbed his face with his right hand.

He had no feeling below his left shoulder.

“Damn, I’m ashamed. I’m a lieutenant, and I got knocked out with one hit...”

“No, don’t worry about it.”

Moon Tae-ho looked at Lee Hyun-wook and smiled.

“This guy, everyone was going crazy saying he’s amazing, but I was indifferent. You really are amazing.”

Right after the incident, when the battalion commander called for Lee Hyun-wook first, he was honestly a bit annoyed.

No matter how much this guy had achieved recently, it seemed odd to call a mere soldier while the entire battalion was disappearing and the on-duty lieutenant was ignored.

But now, he thought the battalion commander had good judgment.

“I’m not really talented at using magic directly, so I’ve always focused on area magic specialties. That’s why I have the rank of lieutenant, but I’m sorry...”

Not all mages were the same.

The direction was determined by the first 'passive' skill they obtained.

In Moon Tae-ho’s case, he was specialized in 'mana detection' and 'flow analysis.'

In other words, he focused more on analyzing and controlling magic rather than casting it directly.

That’s why he was perfect for the role of 'Area Magic Controller,' which involved controlling and directing the magic created by multiple mages, sometimes hundreds of them. It wasn’t a particularly busy job, though.

“But, Controller, we don’t have time to chat right now.”

Moon Tae-ho realized he had been lost in thought.

“Ah, right...”

“Controller, can I ask you to do what you do best?”

“...Huh?”

Moon Tae-ho blinked at Lee Hyun-wook’s words.

“Area magic, that’s what I mean.”

“Why... why is that needed now?”

“I want to open a long-distance two-way portal to connect this place with the totem area.”

“...”

“If you allow it, I’ll gather the mages from the 2nd Battalion.”

Moon Tae-ho couldn’t quite understand what Lee Hyun-wook was saying.

“...What exactly are you trying to do?”

Lee Hyun-wook smiled.

“Don’t we need to wipe out the enemies who have infiltrated the base?”

***

“...Advance.”

The 22 members of the 'Totem Search Team,' minus Lee Hyun-wook, followed Se Eun-ha’s command and entered the depths of Namsan.

In the dark mountain at night, the moonlight couldn’t penetrate the dense trees, and they couldn’t see a thing.

However, they couldn’t turn on their flashlights. They had to avoid being detected by the undead.

Fortunately, they had enough 'Night Vision' devices, so they could move through the night while wearing them.

How long had it been...

The lead signal to stop,

The entire search team held their breath and hid behind trees and bushes.

The lead signal,

Everyone’s gaze turned to that spot.

Swallowing hard,

Finally, the targets came into view.

It was...

Grrrr-

Hundreds of green lights blooming on the mid-slope of Namsan, the eyes of the dead.

Hundreds of undead were gathered on the mid-slope of Namsan.

‘They’re different from the zombies we faced earlier.’

An Min-tae realized.

These were higher-level monsters than the 'Residents of Hell' that appeared near the guard post.

They were much larger and emitted green smoke from their bodies.

Their speed and strength would likely be on a different level from the zombies they had faced earlier.

But that wasn’t all.

‘...What the hell is that?’

Boom- Boom- Boom- Boom-

The ground-shaking footsteps of a giant armored army, over 2 meters tall,

Green smoke rose from inside their empty helmets.

‘Those are Living Armors.’

Living armors that move on their own and attack everything that invades their master’s territory...

‘I’ve seen them before, but these are much larger.’

Living armors without a master could be owned by mage players using 'Control Magic.' Some people even carried them for protection...

But he had never seen so many at once.

And An Min-tae didn’t know, but these weren’t just ordinary Living Armors.

They were Haunted Armors, possessed by evil spirits, not controlled by magic.

They were far more malevolent and higher-level undead.

And the purple gate opened there was continuously spewing out new monsters.

It was clear that the number of undead would multiply several times over as time passed.

“Ha...”

The search team members were stunned as they watched the nightmare-like scene.

To break through this undead army and find and destroy that 'totem'...

The urge to run away was a very natural feeling.

But before the mission, Se Eun-ha’s words had settled in their minds like a stone.

“If we fail, they will descend from Namsan. At least tens of thousands will die...”

Yes...

Tens of thousands, or perhaps hundreds of thousands of lives depended on them.

‘Right, if we give up here, it’s all over. We can’t let that happen.’

But just as they couldn’t turn back, they also couldn’t move forward.

‘If we’re discovered here... we’re definitely dead.’

His instincts warned him to hide as completely as possible, or else he would be swept up in that parade of death and become part of it...

But then...

“...Huh? S, Sergeant?”

Se Eun-ha, of all people, stood up and started walking forward.

It was an unusual action.

If she approached so openly, she would be detected by the undead scattered everywhere.

“You’ll be discovered!”

One of the soldiers desperately warned, but she shook her head.

“It’s okay. They already know we’re here.”

“...What?”

Then, a laugh came from somewhere.

“...As expected, a famous paladin is different.”

A woman’s voice,

Something moved vaguely in the darkness near where Se Eun-ha was looking.

A woman in formal attire, as if she had separated from the shadows.

“I’ve killed several paladins before, but to notice this...”

The woman put a cigarette in her mouth, and Se Eun-ha drew her greatsword from behind.

“I couldn’t stand watching you waste time, so I’ll ask just one question. Who are you?”

A pale, unknown hand extended from behind the woman and grabbed the cigarette,

Click- her real hand lit the cigarette.

“Well, it would take a lot of time to tell you who we are...”

At that moment,

Swish!

The sound of a blade slicing flesh—suddenly, Choi Young-jun was standing next to Se Eun-ha.

He was holding his sword, a wando, and something fell at his feet.

A hand holding a dagger, a severed hand.

“Grr...”

Then, from a distance, a man in a fedora landed.

Blood dripped from his right hand.

“Sergeant, there was another one above us.”

“I already knew, but thanks.”

A translucent shield formed above Se Eun-ha’s head.

A mana shield,

A skill inherent in the armor she was wearing.

“...Carol, I think I understand why Hyeong-tae and Yang Hee-ju were both taken out at the same time.”

The man in the fedora glared at Choi Young-jun and whispered.

They were facing an unexpected powerhouse.

“But if both of them are here, who killed Oh Gang-mok?”

“...That’s what I’m wondering.”

The connection with Oh Gang-mok had just been cut.

It might mean there was another powerhouse.

Meanwhile, the man in the fedora’s severed hand twitched and started moving on its own.

Todododod-

It crawled on the ground like a spider, rushing towards its owner.

But it never made it to its owner’s arms.

Swish!

Its fingers were severed and scattered in all directions.

It was Choi Young-jun again.

“Ouch, now you have to crawl like a worm instead of a spider?”

Choi Young-jun smiled and wiggled his finger.

The man in the fedora glared at Choi Young-jun.

“...I will kill that man.”

“You want him?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, then I’ll take the paladin.”

The eyes of the two vampires flashed red. At that moment, dozens, perhaps hundreds, of green eyes began to rise from the darkness between the trees behind them.

Grrrr-

Hundreds of footsteps and revolting cries echoed through the mountain, coming in waves.

The undead army was approaching.

“...Prepare for battle!”

An Min-tae shouted, and the search team members readied their skills.

“Come on, famous paladin, let’s see what you’ve got.”

Carol smiled and disappeared into the darkness.

Grrrr- Grrrr-

Between the trees, a pack of zombies started charging.

There were dozens visible.

The search team members looked at Se Eun-ha.

But without giving any orders, she lowered her shield.

Rumble-

When she raised her shield, white runes appeared on it.

Runic characters.

As they rotated around the shield and gathered at the center,

Zzzzzzzz-

An intense white light burst out, forming a white dome with a 20-meter radius.

Pfff-

Dozens of zombies inside the dome were instantly incinerated.

It was an incredible holy power.

She handed the shield to Choi Young-jun.

“This dome will last for 7 minutes. Protect the kids and provide support.”

This meant she intended to break through alone.

“Hmm, is that possible?”

“...There’s no other way.”

Se Eun-ha raised her sword in front of her and closed her eyes.

Rumble-

The gray full plate armor glowed, and it seemed to turn pure white.

She pushed off the ground, radiating light, and walked forward, pushing back the darkness.

On the opposite side, armored knights appeared.

Two-meter-tall armors emitting black smoke, 'Haunted Armors.'

Boom- Boom- Boom- Boom-

Carol smiled as she watched from the darkness.

“A special gift for you, the first one.”

“...”

Haunted Armors weren’t easy to defeat just by having high holy power.

They had strong physical defense and considerable magic resistance.

Thus, it was difficult to directly hit the evil spirits inside with 'holy power.'

And there were 30 of them.

But Se Eun-ha didn’t hesitate and kicked off the ground and ran.

She was incredibly fast, despite the weight of her full plate armor.

After a running start, she leaped into the air and

Zzzzzzzz-

collided with the leading Haunted Armor.

Sparks flew between the two armors.

Se Eun-ha stepped on the chest of the armor and soared into the air again, then plunged down and drove her greatsword into the head of the Haunted Armor.

Zzzzzzzz!

At that moment, white light burst from her greatsword.

Pfff-

Holy Light,

The inside of the armor turned a blinding white, and black smoke emerged from the gaps. The black smoke, shaped like a human face, screamed in agony.

The possessed evil spirit was destroyed, and the armor returned to a normal 'Living Armor.'

That was the end.

Ku-rumble-

The giant armor fell helplessly.

Other Haunted Armors charged, but it was no different.

Zzzzzzzz! Zzzzzzzz! Zzzzzzzz! Zzzzzzzz!

Se Eun-ha dodged the flying hammers and spears with incredible speed, slashed through the joints of the Haunted Armors, and brought the steel giants to their knees.

She then inserted 'Holy Light' into the armor to purify the evil spirits...

It was an unbelievable feat, but she did it.

She quickly defeated five Haunted Armors, crushing them like tin cans.

The main skills of a paladin were to enhance armor and weapons.

In other words, there was a world of difference between Se Eun-ha in her full armor and Se Eun-ha without it.

“What...”

Carol, sitting on a branch, stopped trying to light her cigarette.

Se Eun-ha was already looking up at her, sword raised.

“I hate to say it, but I’ll show you why I’m famous. Come down here.”

Carol was momentarily taken aback but soon regained her composure.

“Ah... I knew you’d do that, so I prepared the second gift.”

She took something out.